ROME, Ga. – The Shorter Men's Soccer team opened the 2026 campaign with a 4-2 victory over Bryan College on Tuesday night at Ben Brady Field, marking head coach Roberto Hernandez's first win at the helm of the Hawks.
Joao Beer notched the first goal of the season after capitalizing on a handball inside the penalty box in the seventh minute to put the Hawks in front. Just over two minutes later, Shorter made a great run toward goal, as Issac Cruz tipped the ball over a defender's head and straight to Gabe DeHart, who found the back of the net to extend the Hawks' lead. The visitors did not go away quietly, converting on a header off a corner kick in the 23rd minute to cut the deficit to one. Shorter fended off the Lions for the remainder of the half and entered the break with a 2-1 advantage.
The Hawks remained hot coming out of the halftime break, as Beer found the back of the net once again to give Shorter a 3-1 lead. Shorter continued to roll, as DeHart scored his second goal of the night off a beautiful feed from Matthew Molina to make it a 4-1 affair. Bryan added another goal in the 66th minute, but it would not be enough, as the Hawks held on for the 4-2 victory.
"I am super proud of these guys," said Head Coach Roberto Hernandez. "We came in, and we fought hard. It has been a long three weeks of preseason, and it has been grueling, but we have been pushing hard and pushing through preseason fitness. I think I am more proud of how they dictated the game by slowing it down in the right moments and capitalizing on our chances. We are happy to be 1-0, and we are looking forward to Erskine this weekend."
UP NEXT
The Hawks will open conference play this weekend as they host Erskine College on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.
FOLLOW THE HAWKS
For complete coverage of Shorter Men's soccer, follow the Hawks on social media @ShorterHawks (Twitter), / @shortermensoccer (Instagram) or visit the official home of Shorter athletics at goshorterhawks.com
