Two first-half PKs sink FMU men's soccer & other local college news & recaps
FLORENCE, S.C. – On a sweltering Wednesday afternoon at Hartzler Field, Francis Marion University was unable to overcome two penalty kick opportunities after suffering a 2-1 loss to ninth-ranked Auburn University Montgomery in a non-conference men's soccer regional matchup.
Following the loss, the Patriots (1-1-1) will regroup for a weekend road trip to Murfreesboro, N.C., to begin Conference Carolinas play with a divisional contest at Chowan University at 7 p.m.
Francis Marion's Jose Coutinho scored the only goal for the Patriots in a 2-1 loss to the University of Auburn Montgomery on Wednesday.
FMU finished its three-game homestand on Wednesday after facing two opponents ranked inside the top 15 overall in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. Today marked the first-ever meeting between the Patriots and the Warhawks (3-0-0).
In the first half, the Patriots nearly took the lead in the seventh minute when senior forward Volkan Celikkol stole a back pass to the goalkeeper, but the AUM goalie recovered the loose ball to keep the contest scoreless. At the 11:47-mark, the Warhawks were awarded a penalty kick following a handball in the box. Graduate student goalkeeper Vicent Sanchis saved the initial shot before AUM's Sean O'Donnell gathered the rebound and netted his first goal of the season.
In the 39th minute, Francis Marion found its answer as senior midfielder Juan Esteban Silva delivered a pass into the box that found junior forward Jose Coutinho. A quick header down off the pass allowed Coutinho to score on a floating shot into the left side of the net, his first of the season, 1-1.
Just one minute later, Auburn Montgomery was awarded another penalty kick following a late challenge at the top of the 18-yard box. AUM's Jaden McKree stepped to the spot and buried his third goal of the year to regain the lead by a 2-1 margin.
The Patriots looked for an equalizer early in the second half following a pair of shots by senior forward Victor Barón da Silva, which saw one opportunity stopped by the AUM goalkeeper. The Warhawks nearly secured a two-goal advantage in the 59th minute as a curling free kick from the right side hit the far post. Despite Francis Marion holding an 8-2 edge in shots in the second half, the Patriots only managed one shot on goal.
Sanchis completed the 90-minute match with a pair of saves on eight shots faced.
FMU finished with a 12-8 advantage in total shots while both sides had three corner kicks.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Patriots unable to halt second-half
comeback by eighth-ranked Bears
A pair of goals in the opening 12 minutes of the first half was not enough as the Francis Marion University women's soccer team surrendered three second-half goals to suffer a 3-2 defeat against eighth-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne University on Wednesday evening at Hartzler Field.
Francis Marion (1-1-0) will travel to Murfreesboro, N.C. to begin its Conference Carolinas schedule against Chowan University on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 4:30 p.m.
In the 11th minute, graduate student forward Tehya Dave' chased down the ball along the left side before finding junior forward Isabella Fregoso, who fired a shot into the upper-left corner of the net, deflecting off the keeper's glove to take a 1-0 advantage.
Just moments later, Dave' pushed the tempo once again along the left side, where she found sophomore forward Matea Bradfield, who connected into the lower-right corner in the 12th minute, for her third goal of the season.
The Bears came out of halftime with relentless pressure, controlling a majority of the possession in the offensive end. Their efforts paid off in the 58th minute, as LR's Mya Rivera rose above the Francis Marion defense to head the ball into the upper-right corner of the goal, 2-1.
In the 77th minute, LR converted a free kick, and Rivera secured her brace with a header from six yards out to tie the contest at 2-2.
With the clock winding down, Dave' had one final opportunity to put the Patriots in front as her shot in the 86th minute beat the keeper but ricocheted off the woodwork.
Lenoir-Rhyne sealed the comeback victory at the 87:57 mark as Kennedy Flowers struck a shot in the lower-left corner of the goal from roughly 28 yards out, securing the 3-2 road win.
For team statistics, the Patriots took 10 shots (4 on goal), while the Bears took 7 (4 on goal). Lenoir-Rhyne tallied nine total corner kicks while Francis Marion only registered three.
MEN'S GOLF
Patriots' Lee namedÂ
Big Sky Golfer of the WeekÂ
FARMINGTON, Utah – Francis Marion University sophomore Chan Lee has been named the Big Sky Conference Men's Golfer of the Week for the week of Aug. 26-Sept. 1, following a top-15 finish at the fall 2026 season-opening tournament.
Lee
A native of Cancun, Mexico, Lee tied for 12th overall on the individual leaderboard at the Augusta Jaguar Fall Invitational after carding a two-under 214 (72-68-74), the lowest 54-hole score in his career. He converted 10 birdies and 36 pars over the two-day event at the Forest Hills Golf Club, a 7,086-yard, par-72 layout.
He helped Francis Marion to a tie for fifth place in the team standings in the 10-team field with a three-round score of 880. It was his second career top 20 finish in his Patriot career.
Last season, Lee boasted a 75.48 stroke average while competing in seven events with FMU. Additionally, he delivered a top 10 finish at the 2026 Big Sky Conference Championship after tying ninth overall, his best career finish on the leaderboard.
Francis Marion will return to action on Sept. 13-15 at the JT Poston Invitational hosted by Western Carolina University in Waynesville, N.C.
Lee is majoring in business finance and is a product of Heritage Academy.
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