BOCA RATON, Fla. – The No. 1 Lynn men's soccer team opened its 2025 campaign with a 2-1 victory over Tusculum on Thursday afternoon at Bobby Campbell Stadium. Senior Paul Brauckmann buried the game-winner with a 77th minute free kick as the Fighting Knights began their national title defense with a win. 

HOW IT HAPPENED: 
- The Fighting Knights earned the first chance of the game in the 17th minute when Robin Muenst's 30-yard strike was pushed over the bar by Pioneer goalkeeper Noe Delmotte 
- Tusculum grabbed the opening goal in the 26th minute, 1-0 
- Lynn equalized in the 40th minute when Muenst's back-heel pass was finished by Fynn Friedrichs with a one-time shot outside the box to make it 1-1 
- In the second half, Pioneers goalkeeper, Delmotte, had a key save on a Rui Ferreira attempt in the 63rd minute, with the rebound flagged offsides before it was tapped in by Junior Smith 
- Tusculum went down a man with just over 21 minutes remaining 
- The Fighting Knights capitalized in the 77th minute, as Brauckmann curled a free kick from 25 yards out over the wall and past Delmotte for the game-winner, 2-1 

FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS: 
- Lynn outshot Tusculum 16-2, including a 6-1 edge in shots on goal 
- Friedrichs and Brauckmann each scored their first goal as Fighting Knights 
- Luca Clavero, Brauckmann, Anton Mand, and Marc Ehmann all played the full 90 minutes 
- Ferreira had a total of four shots in the match 
- Luan Barroso Rennstich, Smith, Muenst, and Brauckmann all took two shots each 
- Last time Lynn played Tusculum was Sept 18, 2024, where the Fighting Knights won 6-1 
- This is the second time Lynn faced Tusculum in program history, beating them both times 
- The Fighting Knights won their third season opener in a row: Spring Hill, 2-1, in 2023 and again 2-0 in 2024 

UP NEXT: 
- The Fighting Knights return home to host regional opponent the West Alabama Tigers on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 11:00 am at Bobby Campbell Stadium