HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. – The Hampden-Sydney College soccer team began a four-game homestand with a 2-1 come-from-behind win past Southern Virginia University on Wednesday evening at Hellmuth-Gibson Field. The host Tigers improved to 4-2-1 overall, while the visiting Knights fell to 1-8 on the season.

"We had a slow start tonight, but the guys showed a ton of resilience to battle back and find a way to get the result we deserved," said fifth-year head coach Tommy DiNuzzo. "It was a great effort all around, particularly in the second half where we really dictated the game and created quite a few attacking opportunities."

The Tigers pushed the action to start the game, firing three shots by the 7:40 mark. However, it was the Knights who got on the scoreboard first with a goal at 20:28. Late in the opening half, a free kick by sophomore Jackson Burkhart (Raleigh, NC) deep in the SVU side of the field found junior Connor Brooks (Springfield) in the box, and Brooks headed-in the ball into the right side of the net to tie the game up for H-SC at 42:39.

The two teams remained tied at the half, 1-1.

It was the Tigers once again who looked to force the action with two of the first three shots of the second half. At 68:01, the Knights were called for a handball inside their own box, giving H-SC a penalty kick opportunity. Junior Kade Wheeler (Blacksburg) took the shot for the Tigers and fired the ball to the right side of the net, putting the hosts on top, 2-1.

The H-SC defense prevented SVU from taking another shot the rest of the game to provide for the final margin of victory.

Freshman goalkeeper Connor Kitson (Wake Forest, NC) improved to 3-0 in his first three collegiate starts. The Tigers led the Knights in shots (13-7) and corner kicks (8-1).

H-SC returns to the pitch on Saturday, October 2, when it hosts Randolph-Macon College during Friends & Family Weekend. The game with the Yellow Jackets gets underway at 7 p.m. from Hellmuth-Gibson Field.