COLUMBIA, Ky. - The No. 18 Lindsey Wilson men's soccer team opened the 2026 season with a 2-1 victory over No. 11 Life (Ga.) on Friday night on Ray Wells Field at Walter S. Reuling Stadium.
The Running Eagles (2-1) outshot the Blue Raiders (1-0) 18-6, with a 10-3 advantage in shots on goal. Niccolas Souza and Renny Caicedo each had one goal, and Denilson Macon and Juliano Manfro each recorded an assist. Goalkeeper Zahir Garcia saved nine shots, including the game-winning save in the final seconds of the match.
At the beginning of the game, Life started the game off very aggressively, getting two shots on goal in the first five minutes. However, Lindsey Wilson struck first when Souza headed a ball off the foot of Macon from the corner to put the Blue Raiders up in the 14th minute.
The Running Eagles' aggressiveness paid off in the 42nd minute when a deflected a ball off a Lindsey Wilson defender allowed Alejandro Contrera to put one past Garcia to tie the game heading into half.
In the second half, Lindsey Wilson scored their second goal after Manfro had a breakaway that allowed him to cross the ball into Caicedo to put the Blue Raiders up 2-1.
Life had one last chance to tie the game up when a foul inside the box allowed the Running Eagles a penalty kick opportunity in the final minute, but Garcia was able to put a hand on Andrei Apostu's shot, resulting in Lindsey Wilson's victory.
The Blue Raiders return to action on Monday, August 31, hosting No. 6 Indiana Tech at 5 p.m. CT on Ray Wells Field at Walter S. Reuling Stadium.
