DAYTON, TN. – Bryan College men's soccer opened their 2025 season with a challenging 5-0 loss to defending national champion Dalton State on Wednesday evening in Dalton, GA.
The Lions (0-1-0) faced an uphill battle from the opening whistle against the Roadrunners (4-0-0), who wasted little time asserting their dominance. Dalton State's Sergej Misic emerged as the star of the match, recording a hat trick in the first half to put the game out of reach early.
Misic opened the scoring just 49 seconds into the match with an assist from Sohail Ebrahimi, setting the tone for what would be a difficult evening for Bryan College. The Roadrunners doubled their lead at 7:52 when Misic found the net again, this time assisted by Jesus Huitanda and Hugo Martinez. Misic completed his hat trick at 15:40 with another goal assisted by Ebrahimi.
Jonathan Hernandez added Dalton State's fourth goal unassisted at 32:07 in the first half. The Roadrunners capped off their scoring in the second half when Jesus Huitanda found the back of the net at 46:34 with an assist from Misic.
Bryan College goalkeeper
Justus Feit faced heavy pressure throughout the match, making five saves on 10 shots on target. Despite the lopsided scoreline, Feit's performance kept the deficit from being even larger, as Dalton State outshot the Lions 19-6 overall.
The Lions struggled to generate consistent offensive pressure, managing just one shot on goal in the entire match. Their best scoring opportunity came in the 74th minute when
Stone Davies hit the crossbar, followed immediately by
Dylan Moedano's shot that went wide right.
Dalton State dominated possession and territorial advantage, earning seven corner kicks to Bryan's two. The Roadrunners' depth was evident as they made numerous substitutions throughout the match while maintaining their high level of play.
The Lions will look to bounce back from this season-opening setback as they continue their 2025 campaign. While the final score was decisive, the experience of facing the reigning national champions should provide valuable lessons as Bryan College works to build chemistry and momentum early in the season.
The Lions return to action on September 2nd in their Home Opener against UT Southern as they seek their first victory of the 2025 season.
