UWA wins thriller over Delta State

A goal by sophomore midfielder Brian Meadows at the 83-minute mark capped a thrilling, 2-1, victory for the University of West Alabama men’s soccer team Friday evening, as the squad outlasted Delta State at Tiger Stadium.

West Alabama is now 2-0 in Gulf South Conference competition and has allowed just one goal against GSC foes in those two wins. The Tigers boast a 6-1 record overall while DSU falls to 5-2 on the year.

Meadows’ goal late in the second half was the climax of a match that was intense throughout. The stat sheet proves that both teams battled in an even affair for the large part of the 90 minutes played. Delta State finished with seven shots and four shots on goal, while UWA also had seven attempts with three shots on goal.

The Tigers struck first in the opening half when Danny McCarthy scored the first goal of his UWA career off an assist from teammate Thibault Charmey at 14:39.

West Alabama held that advantage the rest of the first period, but that soon changed at the beginning of the second half. It was then when DSU’s Daniel Deblaere stuck a shot in at 48:00 to tie the match at 1-1.

Over the next 35 minutes of action, neither team could find the net until Meadows broke open the scoreless streak with a shot from about 25 yards out that put the Tigers up for good.

McCarthy finished the night with a goal off of two shots, while Meadows’ score came in his lone shot of the night. In a game that featured three assists, Charmey and Miguel Medrano each had one.

In a pivotal weekend in the GSC, West Alabama now hosts Christian Brothers Sunday at 3:30 p.m.