Box Score Faulkner (4-3-1) endured a 90-minute battle with a very fast and physical Talladega, winning 2-1 here at Billy D. Hilyer Stadium last night. "We faced a program on the rise that was a constant threat with its speed," head coach Kyle Beard said.
In a contest in which 45 fouls were fairly evenly split, both teams were making their opposition earn every inch of the pitch for the entire contest.
The Eagles found the breakthrough when Baba Mediateur found Pedro Moura on top of the box who fired a hard shot at the keeper by the post. The ball bounced around off the keeper's hands, onto the post and to the keeper's head and in the net in the 38th minute. It was Moura's third goal in two games.
Felipe de Almedia found his first career goal in the 43rd from Guilherme Mondaini's corner kick when he flew through the air and got his body to the ball, redirecting it into the back of the net to make the score 2-0.
The Tornadoes nearly found a breakthrough with one minute until halftime when Matheus Severino stepped up to take a penalty kick. Caio Calado denied the penalty attempt diving to the right and pushing the ball away for his second penalty save of the season to preserve the Eagles two goal advantage at the break.
Talladega made things interesting in the 74th minute when Victor Pomeli found a rebound from a free kick which hit the wall. Pomeli powered the shot from outside the box to the right side of the net to cut the Eagles lead to one.
Faulkner held on to secure the victory thanks to timely tackles and saves.
Faulkner survived the most shots taken on them since switching the formation change with 13 attempts, six of which were on frame. The host's offense mustered five shots on target in ten attempts.
Southern States Athletic Conference play will open Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. when the top-ranked team in NAIA, the William Carey Crusaders, comes to Billy D. Hilyer Stadium. "The Crusaders are a very good defensive team and are extremely disciplined. This may be the best side they have ever had, which is an impressive statement following multiple apperances in the national tournament," Beard said. "If we play smart, disciplined, patient and to our strengths, we can be a tough team to wrestle with." Faulkner has only taken down the Mississippi side once in 10 matches, a 2-1 home win Oct. 15, 2015. The Crusaders defeated the Eagles twice last season: a 3-1 result in Hattiesburg in the regular season, and a 3-0 final in the SSAC semifinals.
