WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Senior midfielder Diego Casielles scored two goals as Fairfield handed No. 9 UNCW its first loss of the season with a 2-1 decision at the UNCW Soccer Stadium on Friday evening.
The Stags, who were playing their fourth straight road game, evened their record at 2-2-0 while the Seahawks dropped to 4-1-0 on the season.
Casielles gave the Stags a 1-0 lead with 17 seconds left in the first half when he blasted a 20-yard free kick past redshirt senior goalkeeper
Ryan Cretens.
UNCW evened the score in the 54th minute as sophomore forward
Emil Elveroth took a through pass from senior midfielder
Shane Mecham and netted his third goal of the year past sophomore goalkeeper Gordon Botterill.
But, Casielles answered with 15:12 remaining when he converted a penalty kick after the Seahawks were called for a foul inside the penalty area, giving the Stags a 2-1 advantage they did not relinquish.
Botterill made six saves for the Stags, who were outshot by a 14-5 margin. Cretens, meanwhile, tallied one save in the loss for UNCW.
Up Next: The Seahawks close out the UNCW SpringHill Suites Classic against UNC Asheville at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 9.
