MOUNT OLIVE, NC — The University of Mount Olive men’s soccer team found the back of the net three times Saturday afternoon but was unable to keep pace with Converse, falling 6-3 in Conference Carolinas action at Amon Field.
The Trojans (2-6, 1-4 Conference Carolinas) answered an early Converse goal with an equalizer from Pierce Slater before the Valkyries pulled away with a strong offensive performance in the second half.
Converse wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, striking just 50 seconds into the match to take an early 1-0 advantage.
Mount Olive responded in the 10th minute when Slater scored his second goal of the season at the 9:35 mark, evening the match at 1-1.
The Valkyries regained the lead in the 19th minute and carried a 2-1 advantage into halftime. Trojan goalkeeper Nick Cutlip helped keep Mount Olive within striking distance with five saves in the opening half.
Converse took control after the break, scoring four times during the opening 30 minutes of the second half.
Despite the deficit, Mount Olive continued to battle offensively. Joshua Meza scored his first goal of the season in the 70th minute off an assist from Slater. Converse answered before Abdoulaye Saine added another goal for the Trojans in the 80th minute, also his first of the season.
Slater led the Mount Olive attack with a goal and an assist, while Meza and Saine each contributed their first goals of the year. The Trojans finished the match with nine shots, including four on goal.
Cutlip recorded five saves in more than 75 minutes in goal before Kingston Ouellette took over for the final 14 minutes. Ouellette stopped all three shots he faced as Mount Olive finished with eight saves against a Converse attack that produced 22 shots.
The Trojans will look to bounce back Wednesday when they travel to Wilson for another Conference Carolinas matchup against rival Barton. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
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