NEWBERRY, S.C. - After countless close and painful ties and defeats, the Lenoir-Rhyne men's soccer team has won their first game of 2026, defeating Newberry 2-0 on the road.
Oskar Dahlberg and
Xairo Villalon netted late second half goals to pick up the win. This marks the first victory for interim head coach
Jorge Morales.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 2, Newberry 0
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (1-5-3, 1-2-2 SAC), Newberry (2-7-0, 1-4-0 SAC)
Location: Newberry, S.C. | Smith Road Complex
STORY OF THE MATCH:
- Neither team showed much on offense in the first half, combining for just eight total shots.
- Both teams had multiple shots saved early in the second half.
- Oskar Dahlberg broke through with a goal in the 77th minute off an assist from Xairo Villalon.
- Villalon then took it himself a few minutes later, scoring an impressive solo goal to put the game away.
STATS OF THE MATCH:
- Lenoir-Rhyne out-shot Newberry 15-7 and held a 9-4 edge in shots-on-goal.
- The Bears had six corner kicks in the match, compared to just one for the Wolves.
- Xairo Villalon led the team with five shots, four of which were on goal.
- Mason Cranford made four saves in the shutout victory.
- There were just two yellow cards in the match, both given to the Bears.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Lenoir-Rhyne leads the all-time series 23-6-1.
- The last four victories for the Bears in this series have been shutouts, with the last non-shutout win being a 5-2 victory in 2018.
- This was Lenoir-Rhyne's first time scoring multiple goals in a game since the season opener at Rollins.
UP NEXT: Lenoir-Rhyne will wait a week before they look to continue this momentum at Coker. The Cobras are 2-2 (2-1 SAC) and are facing Emory & Henry tonight. Kickoff for next Saturday's match will be at 7:00 p.m. in Hartsville, S.C.
