Conley scores in last 15 seconds, hands Saints 1-0 loss

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on October 11, 2013 1:48 PM

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astevens@newsargus.com

DUDLEY -- For 79 minutes and 45 seconds, Southern Wayne and D.H. Conley were as even as they could be on the soccer field Thursday evening.

The Saints would love to have those final 15 seconds back after Nate Evans scored the game's lone goal, and the Vikings escaped the Doyle Whitfield Athletic Complex witth a 1-0 win in Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference play.

The two teams played drastically different styles and each squandered scoring opportunities throughout the first half. Southern Wayne appeared content to send long passes down the sidleines or over the top of the defense to its attacking forwards.

Conley (8-3-2 overall, 6-2-0 ECC) used more of a possession-oriented attack to string passes together while moving the ball down the field. The Vikings couldn't convert on corner kicks in the 11th and 12th minutes.

The Saints' Ulysses Ramirez shot was saved by the Conley keeper in the fifth minute. Desir Deufort's shot was turned away on a diving save in the 12th minute.

Evans' shot in the 29th minute was saved by Southern Wayne keeper Michel Peterson and Jeremy Mageau's shot off the rebound was also saved.

Deufort's shot in the 35th minute hit the post.

"We had some chances to score in the first half," Saints' head coach Mario Aguilar said. "I thought at times we controlled the game, but we just weren't able to score."

Evans just missed putting Conley in front in the 49th minute as Peterson just got a finger tip on Evans' shot to deflect it over the goal. Deufort's shot from inside the 18-yard box in the 62nd minute was saved.

Evans won a loose ball to the right of the goal inside the 18-yard box and dribbled past multiple defenders before tucking a shot past Peterson and just inside the post with 15 seconds to play.

"I think our guys were already looking ahead to overtime and they just stopped playing," Aguilar said. "Until the whistle blows you have to keep playing and our guys just kind of put their heads down and we gave up a goal."

Southern Wayne (6-5-1, 3-4-1) finished with a 12-10 edge in shots on goal. Peterson recorded eight saves. The Saints entertain South Central on Tuesday.