CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Josh Brower produced the go-ahead goal in the 73rd minute as the No. 1 West seed Covenant men's soccer team came back to defeat No. 4 West seed LaGrange, 2-1, in a USA South Tournament first round match on Saturday at the UTC Sports Complex in Chattanooga.
Covenant (17-2-1) moves on to face No. 2 East seed Greensboro in a USA South Tournament semifinal next Friday at Scotland Yard.
The Scots fell behind early as LaGrange (6-11-1) struck first in the 12th minute. Blake Webb's free kick into the box got over Covenant keeper Paul Lemay's arms and Asher Hendon slotted a shot into the net to give the visiting Panthers a 1-0 lead.
Brower and the Scots had an answer, though.
In the 27th minute, Brower played a perfect cross through the box to find Parker Owen, who blasted his shot past LaGrange keeper Gian Dev for the score. The game-tying goal was the sixth of the year for Owen, while it was Brower's 12th assist.
Covenant then took the lead for good in the 73rd minute. Brower got a short pass from Aaron Riggs and dribbled into space before unleashing a shot into the back of the net to give the Scots a 2-1 lead. The score was Brower's 11th of the year and Riggs picked up the assist.
The defense withstood LaGrange over the final 20 minutes of play. LaGrange was held to just four shot attempts on the day, with only three of those being on target. Paul Lemay made two saves to collect the victory.
Covenant held a 13-4 edge in shots with Owen leading the way with five attempts. Dev made three saves for the Panthers in the loss.
UP NEXT
Covenant will host the USA South Tournament semifinals and championship on Nov. 8-9 at Scotland Yard. On Nov. 8, No. 1 East seed N.C. Wesleyan will take on No. 2 West seed Maryville at 4 p.m. before Covenant takes on Greensboro at 7 p.m. The championship game time is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday.
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