FLORENCE, S.C. – Freshman Ian Wagner scored on a 30-yard direct kick in the 72nd minute to lift UNC Pembroke to a 3-2 Peach Belt Conference win over Francis Marion University, Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 3) in men’s college soccer action.

UNCP (2-8, 1-1) snaps a four-match losing skid and evens its PBC mark, while Francis Marion (3-8, 1-1) drops its third consecutive match.

Senior forward Thomas Morrow scored the first of his two goals at 21:45 to give the Braves a 1-0 advantage. Both Davis Stephenson and Miguel Ferrer were credit with assists on the score, a shot that Morrow chipped past FMU starting goalkeeper Nick Krywyj.

Francis Marion tied the score at 1-1 when freshman Ivan Juric took a pass from Jonathan Bartomioli and scored from 22-yards out. Willie Hunt then fed Bartomioli with a pass on the left side that the senior put into the goal to give FMU a 2-1 lead in the 64th minute.

UNCP knotted the score 3:29 later when Ferrer passed the ball back to a trailing Morrow, who then scored on a 10-yard shot. The winning goal came after a foul on FMU freshman Juan Rivas. Wagner teed up the direct kick and scored when his blast slipped through the arms of Patriot goalkeeper Jeremy Crooks at the 71:13 mark.

Francis Marion would get two more shots, one on-goal, in the final 18 minutes, but was unable to tally a tying score.

UNCP junior goalkeeper Wes Bowers, a last-minute addition to the Braves’ starting line-up, made five saves. Crooks and Krywyj made two and one stops respectively.

UNC Pembroke outshot the Patriots 19-15 and held a slight 9-8 advantage in corner kicks.

The Francis Marion offense registered nine shots in the opening half, including two attempts that hit the post, but could not dent the scoreboard. FMU freshman Justin Kibler found himself all alone inside the back post on a corner kick by Biagio Galle in the 17th minute, but his header sailed just outside the right post.

Francis Marion plays at local-rival Coker College, Saturday at 1 p.m., while UNCP plays host to 15th-ranked Lander University, Saturday at 7 p.m.