BRADENTON, Fla. - The Warner Men's Soccer team opened their 2026 SUN Conference Campaign on Saturday at New College of Florida in a physical game that saw 30 fouls and 5 yellow cards given. The Royals and Banyans battled for all 90 minutes, yet neither team could find the edge over the other as the game would end in a 1-1 draw.
The Royals came out firing as
Jackson Davenport got a shot off for Warner only 19 seconds into play and would continue to control the pace of play during the opening moments of the game. In the 10th minute the Royals had an incredible attack as they worked the ball from their back line up to their offensive third. The attack saw
Wade Bishop receive a through ball into the box for a 1v1 with the Banyans goalkeeper. When attacking, Bishop was fouled from behind by an NCF defender to earn the Royals a Penalty Kick and the opportunity to take an early lead. Davenport stepped up to the spot and blasted a shot past the Banyans goalkeeper for his 10th goal of the season to put the Royals up 1-to-0. NCF pushed back hard after conceding the opening goal and would record 3 shots on goal over the next 20 minutes, but Royals goalie
Mikey Melvin came up with 3 saves to help the team hold on to their 1 goal lead. In the 35th minute NCF would earn a PK of their own and converted on the opportunity to level the match at 1. Both teams continued to push for the final 10 minutes of the half, yet the two teams would stay level at 1 entering the break.
Warner controlled the 2nd half earning 4 corner kicks to NCF's 1 and prevented NCF from recording their 1st shot of the half until the 75th minute. Melvin earned 2 more saves during the final 45 minutes including a clutch 1v1 save with only seconds remaining in the game to help secure the 1-to-1 draw in Warner's opening SUN match of the season. The Royals final stat line saw the team record 9 total shots, 3 on goal, 5 corner kicks and 5 saves.
The Royals will look to build upon Saturday's performance when they return home on October 3rd when they host SCAD for their 1st home game since September 12th.
Up Next:
Warner will host SCAD on Saturday, October 3rd on the Royals Soccer Field with kickoff scheduled for 7:00pm.
#GodBlessGoRoyals | #TogetherAsOne
