DANVILLE, Ky. -- Parker Owen's goal in the first minute of the second half was all the Covenant men's soccer team needed to defeat No. 4-ranked Centre, 1-0, in the opener of the 32nd annual Bob Allen Nissan Classic on Friday night.

It was the first win for Covenant (1-3-1) over Centre (2-1-1) -- ranked No. 4 in the preseason United Soccer Coaches Top 25 -- in program history. It was also Covenant's first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 22 Birmingham Southern in 2013.

Covenant controlled the pace of play for much of the night, a feat made even more difficult after the teams had to wait out a double-overtime match between Oberlin and Spalding before taking the field. The Scots doubled up the host Colonels in the shots category (22-11) and took 14 attempts in the second half alone.

The opening of the second half was the difference. Covenant received possession to open the half and Owen worked the ball into the box and slotted his shot into the far low corner and past Centre keeper Haydon Korfhage for the score.

The goal was Owen's second of the year, and his second in as many matches.

Covenant kept the pressure on Centre for the majority of the second half. The Scots had 14 shots in the final 45 minutes, with five of those being on target.

Scots keeper Henry Hooks notched his second shutout of the season after picking up four saves. Centre had one final look in the 85th minute, but Hooks made the stop on Nathan Wilcox's attempt to keep the Colonels off the board.

Korfhage made eight saves for Centre. 

Mercer Stout took six shots and Owen had seven, while Centre's Ryan Roussel and Nafiz Budeiri had three shots each.

UP NEXT

Covenant will conclude the Bob Allen Nissan Classic on Saturday against Spalding. Match time is set for 5:30 p.m.

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Be sure to follow the Scots all season long on athletics.covenant.edu and on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for up-to-date scores, news and other information.