ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The top-seeded Flagler College men's soccer team (14-1-4 overall, 11-0-1 PBC) captured its third consecutive Peach Belt Conference Tournament Championship with a 1-0 victory over second-seeded North Georgia (13-3-5 overall, 6-2-4 PBC) Saturday night. The Saints became the first program since 2014-16 to win three straight PBC Tournament titles, extending its winning streak to 11 consecutive matches and matching the longest in program history.
SCORING SUMMARY
61' –
Tim Wahlborg (Assists:
Daniel Becerra,
Pierce Amalberti)
TURNING POINT
In a rematch of last year's PBC Tournament Championship, the opening half remained scoreless despite scoring opportunities for both teams. North Georgia generated the first major threat five minutes into the second half when Rafael Kawata struck the crossbar before the Saints cleared the ball.
Flagler continued to press and broke through on a free kick from just shy of midfield.
Pierce Amalberti sent a left-footed ball toward the back post, where
Daniel Becerra elevated above a North Georgia defender and headed the ball toward
Tim Wahlborg in front of goal. Wahlborg redirected Becerra's pass with a header into the left side of the net to give the Saints a 1-0 lead in the 61st minute.
North Georgia continued to search for an equalizer, but the Saints' backline held strong and turned away the Nighthawks' attempts. Flagler's defensive effort secured the 1-0 victory and its third consecutive PBC Tournament Championship.
KEY STATS & NOTES
- First Team All-PBC selection Tim Wahlborg scored his fourth game-winning goal of the season and eighth goal overall. He also scored the game-winner against North Georgia in last year's PBC Tournament Championship.
- Senior Daniel Becerra was named the PBC Tournament Most Valuable Player after helping the Saints record their second consecutive clean sheet. Becerra played all 90 minutes in the championship match and recorded his second assist of the season.
- Senior goalkeeper Ryan Rivas recorded his fifth shutout of the season, making one save. With the clean sheet, Rivas moved into fifth all-time in PBC history with 25 career shutouts.
- Pierce Amalberti recorded his third assist of the season on the game-winning goal.
- Ryan Berger, Oliver Lindstrom and Owen Cunha were named to the PBC All-Tournament Team. Berger and Cunha played key roles on the defensive end, while Lindstrom anchored the midfield as the trio helped the Saints record back-to-back shutouts.
- Luke Williams came off the bench and recorded two shots on goal. Filip Hornburg, Callum Stokes, Dani Freire, Philip Jung, Henry Okenla and Pierce Amalberti each added a shot.
- The Saints' 11-game winning streak is the longest active streak in NCAA Division II men's soccer.
- The last program to win three consecutive Peach Belt Conference Tournament titles was Young Harris from 2014-16.
UP NEXT
With the victory, Flagler earned an automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship. The Saints will learn their opponent and destination during the NCAA Selection Show on Monday, Nov. 9, at 6:30 p.m. Flagler Athletics will provide additional information when it becomes available.
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