COCHRAN, Ga. – The Lander men's soccer team scored three goals seven minutes apart and tacked on two more later as they dismantled the host Middle Georgia Knights at Nesmith Field Wednesday night, 5-2.
It was a bounce back effort in the truest sense of the phrase for the Bearcats, who didn't register a shot on goal in their previous match. But tonight, they put seven on target and had 13 overall in moving to 3-2-2, 2-0-1 PBC. MGA fell to 3-5-1, 1-2-1 PBC.
Precision passing in the game's 29th minute led to the first Lander score.
Chad Haynes gathered the ball in the center of the pitch above the penalty arc, sent it in to
Orran Mushet on the right wing, who found
Omar Erwa in the box as he tucked his first career goal into the bottom left corner.
Mushet added on to his point total in the 32nd minute after first being denied by the far post.
Jonah Arszman and others worked to recover the ball and Arszman sent a cross back to Mushet who got quick redemption by knocking the ball in for a 2-0 lead.
Senior
Drew Singletary cleaned up the leftovers in front of the goal in the 36th minute to stake LU to a commanding 3-0 advantage before halftime. Singletary's first career goal came after a flawless sequence of passes from
Dylan Colley to
Robin Swagemakers to
Saviola Blake, who set up a streaking
Henry Shehu on the right wing.
Shehu's shot was stopped by the MGA keeper, but Singletary was left with a soft tap-in.
Another first-time scorer was
Savvas Chionakis in the 57th minute. Shehu found him deep in the Bearcats' offensive half and Chionakis used his left foot to beat the keeper to the bottom right to make it 4-1.
Swagemakers closed the book in the 82nd minute by lofting a shot over the keeper's head for his first goal of 2026.
Momentum back on their side, the Bearcats will take aim at the No. 24 Flagler Saints in St. Augustine, Fla., this Saturday at 3 p.m.
