AIKEN, S.C. -- A goal in the 23rd minute by Kento Ito from the University of South Carolina Aiken proved to be the only scoring in the match and enough to hand the Georgia Southwestern men's soccer team a 1-0 loss in the Peach Belt Conference opener for both schools Saturday afternoon at the Pacer Pit.

The Hurricanes suffered their third straight loss by a one goal differential to fall to 3-3-1 overall, while USC Aiken delivered its second straight shutout to improve to 3-2-1.

Ito delivered the decisive score when he took a cross from Driss Baraket and punched it in from five yards out for his first goal of the season.

Offense was hard to come by for the Hurricanes in the second half as their last shot came from Mohamed Balde in the 55th minute.

USC Aiken finished with a 20-7 advantage in shots while GSW held a 10-8 edge in corner kicks and committed two more fouls (17-15).

GSW goalkeeper Joshua Swift made eight saves in the match. Chase Boulton stopped the one shot between the pipes he faced for USC Aiken.

Up Next: GSW returns home to host Flagler College (1-5, 0-2 PBC) on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.