WILSON, N.C. – The Ferrum College men's soccer team made program history Wednesday night, earning its first-ever Conference Carolinas Tournament victory with a 2–0 upset win over fifth-seeded Barton College at Truist Stadium. The 12th-seeded Panthers played one of their most complete matches of the season, striking early and defending with discipline to secure the milestone result.

RECORDS
Ferrum 5-8-3 (2-8-2)
Barton 8-8-3 (6-4-2)

THE BASICS
Ferrum jumped in front just 13 minutes into the match when Freshman Alex Bhutia buried a finish off a perfectly placed pass from Sophomore Max LaFramboise. Despite facing heavy pressure from the Bulldogs—who outshot Ferrum 18–2 in the opening half—goalkeeper Michael Arzillo and the Panther defense held firm to preserve the 1–0 lead at halftime.
Arzillo turned in a stellar performance, recording 10 saves to post the shutout. Ferrum sealed the win late in the second half when Jonathan Nicacio extended the lead to 2–0 in the 85th minute, finishing a cross from Jadon Brooks to send the Panthers into celebration.

KEY STATS
Ferrum: Bhutia 1 goals; Nicacio 1 goal; Arzillo 10 saves
Barton: Pedro Bonfa 4 saves

BEHIND THE WHISTLE
"This is a historic night for Ferrum men's soccer," said Head Coach Matt Cureton "Securing our first Conference Carolinas Tournament win—on the road, against a strong opponent—really highlights how far this team has come. The players showed tremendous heart and discipline for the full 90 minutes."

UP NEXT
Coach Matt Cureton's team will travel to Tigerville, South Carolina on Saturday, November 8^th to face fourth-seeded North Greenville in the Conference Carolinas Quarterfinals. Kickoff is set for 3:30 pm.