BRISTOL, Tenn. –
Kenneth Walton scored a pair of goals Tuesday afternoon to lead the King University men's soccer team to a 3-0 win over Erskine. It was the first home conference win for the Tornado in the
Mark Bell era.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 3, Erskine 0
LOCATION: Parks Field; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 2-2-2, 1-1-1 Conference Carolinas; Erskine 0-5-0, 0-2-2 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
- King goalkeeper Jack Hyatt was tested early, as the Flying Fleet had a shot on goal just 1:35 into the game, which was stopped by Hyatt.
- Erskine would pepper the Tornado goalie with three more shots in the first 10 minutes, but none forced Hyatt to make a save.
- The Tornado had a penalty kick opportunity in the 27th minute, but were unable to convert.
- King finally broke the deadlock in the 44th minute, when Joshua Bessinger fed Ruben Laureano, who converted for his first goal of the season, giving King a 1-0 lead that they would take into the intermission.
- In the 69th minute, Walton picked up his first goal, converting a bicycle kick off a free kick opportunity to extend the King lead to 2-0.
- Walton put the icing on the cake in the 79th minute, scoring his second of the game, with Weston Joyner picking up his second assist of the afternoon.
- Erskine managed two shots on goal in the closing minutes, but Hyatt stopped both shots, picking up his second shutout of the season, and his first solo shutout.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Walton now has five goals on the season, tying him for the conference lead.
- Laureano's goal was his fifth career goal, and his first since Oct. 6, 2021, when he found the back of the net in a 4-1 win over Southern Wesleyan.
- Hyatt made six saves on the afternoon.
FOR THE FOES
- Andres Rojas had four shots on goal, while Alex Lopez had two and Roman De Leon had one.
- Evan Zizek recorded six saves in net for Erskine.
UP NEXT
- The Tornado will be off until Wednesday, Sept. 21 when they face Salem in a road nonconference matchup. They won't return to Parks Field until Oct. 1, when they host Barton.
- Erskine is back on the field Saturday afternoon at Mount Olive before starting a three-game homestand.
