University of Lynchburg

Lynchburg, Va. -- Matthew Viscuso scored twice in the second half to lead the University of Lynchburg men's soccer team to a 2-1 comeback victory over Covenant on Friday evening at Shellenberger Field in the first round of the 2026 NCAA tournament.

With the Hornets' (16-1-4) come-from-behind triumph against the Scots (7-9-2), Lynchburg has advanced past the first round of the NCAA postseason for the third consecutive season and won its third straight contest when allowing the first goal of the match.

Covenant opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Henry Parker recorded his fifth goal of the season. Lynchburg entered halftime trailing 1-0 despite controlling 72 percent of the possession and holding a 9-3 advantage in shots during the opening period.

The Hornets placed three first-half attempts on goal. Jefferson Lopez Coreas forced saves in the 20th and 28th minutes, while Evan Pask added another shot on target in the 37th minute. Covenant goalkeeper JT Tolson stopped all three efforts to preserve the Scots' advantage at the break.

Lynchburg found the equalizer at 53:49 when Viscuso scored his sixth goal of the season. The Hornets continued to press following the tying goal, putting two more attempts on target in the 62nd minute as Tolson denied Lopez Coreas and Pask.

Viscuso struck again at 72:54, converting his seventh goal of the campaign off an assist from Izaack Cruz to give Lynchburg its first lead of the match. The two-goal performance came on three total shots, including two on target. Stefan Kapitanov protected the advantage by stopping Parker's attempt in the 70th minute. Kapitanov finished with one save and earned the victory after playing all 90 minutes in goal.

Lynchburg outshot Covenant 17-4 overall and held an 8-2 advantage in shots on target. Lopez Coreas led the Hornets with four attempts and three shots on goal, while Pask added three shots and two on target. Noah Coughlin and Cruz each recorded two attempts. The Hornets finished with 72 percent of the match's possession and committed eight fouls compared with Covenant's 13.

The men's soccer squad is right back at it tomorrow for the second round of the NCAA tournament against Ohio Northern on Shellenberger Field at 5 p.m.

Visit Lynchburg athletics' home online, LynchburgSports.com, anytime for up-to-date news on all Hornets sports and coverage from the Lynchburg Hornets Sports Network.

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