MANCHESTER, N.H. - - A pair of second half goals brought the No. 13 Wilmington University men's soccer team back from a halftime deficit at Southern New Hampshire, winning 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at Penmen Stadium.
After the Penmen (1-2-0) scored in the 17th minute, the nationally ranked No. 13 Wildcats (3-0-1) needed second half goals from defender Carson Talboys and forward Shawn Genus for the comeback victory against the perennial East Region power. Talboys scored his first goal as a Wildcat in the 63rd minute and Genus followed it up with his fourth of the year in the 70th minute.
The Penmen outshot the Wildcats in the first half, 6-4, capitalizing on a counter in the 17th minute. Nicolas Gonzalez streaked down the left side and crossed it in front of the goalmouth. Nadjib Chibout was there to get on the end of it, sliding into the cross to redirect it into the back of the goal.
The Wildcats collected three corner kicks in the early going of the second half, finally getting on the end of one in the 63rd minute. Richard Thompson sent a corner to the back post, finding Carson Talboys who headed it home to tie the match with less than 28 minutes to play.
Moments later, the Wildcats forced the issue getting a turnover at midfield and racing the other way. Reinoud van Eijk pressured the Penmen into a turnover and Yohan Kim played a through ball that Shawn Genus raced onto. He maneuvered around the goalkeeper the slid it into the empty net for the 2-1 lead with just over 20 minutes to play in regulation.
The contest got tight down the stretch, as the Wildcats found themselves playing a man down following a red card with 15 minutes to play. From there, the Penmen collected seven shots, but Konstantinos Parisis made one save while the rest missed the net.
Parisis made two saves for the Wildcats in the win while Penmen netminder Santiago Rojas recorded three stops in the loss. The Penmen led in shots, 14-8, for the match.
The Wildcats return home to face Southern Connecticut State on Wednesday. The opening whistle is set for 4:00 p.m. at the WU Athletics Complex.