DEMOREST, Ga. - A hot and humid 5:30 p.m. kickoff in the home of the Piedmont University Lions made for the perfect game for the Berry Vikings to kick off their 2026 season, coming off one of their most historically successful seasons as SAA conference champions in dramatic fashion.

Leading up to this particular match up, the head to head history dated all the way back to 2011. They have matched up against each other nine times prior to this match, and the Vikings are undefeated with eight wins and one draw. 

The results of this game being 6-1, not only breaks the record for the amount of goals the Vikings have scored against the Lions, but it also tied the largest margin of victory of five goals with the previous game matching this stat ending 5-0 in favor of the Vikings.

They actually found themselves down in the 8th minute of the match. The officials granted a penalty kick in favor of the Lions, and they converted to put the Vikings down 1-0.

It took five minutes for the Vikings to respond with a score of their own. An altercation between a Lions player and freshman Cullen Maas in the penalty box granted the Vikings a penalty kick of their own. It was sophomore Daniel Osho who placed the ball in the right side of the net to score his first goal of the season along with the Vikings' first of the game. 

The match stabilized for the next 30 minutes, and it wasn't until the 44th minute that sophomore Sean Martinez would receive a launched throw-in from Bryce Epstein. He won his battle and scored his first goal of the season, while simultaneously giving the Vikings a 2-1 lead to close out the first half.

The second half commenced and it took only seven minutes for freshman Joey Captain to get his first goal of the season with an assist from a hard pressing Tyler Whitaker to double the Vikings lead.

The Vikings did not let off the gas, minute 74 found themselves up yet another goal, with a well placed weak-foot shot from freshman Leyton Brown for his first goal of the season to make it 4-1.

The 83rd minute saw the Vikings score another goal, with Osho finding Martinez for a text book near-post finish to obtain his second of the game, bringing the lead to 5-1 Vikings.

With two minutes remaining in the match, sophomore Seamus Ladner intelligently connected a pass right into the stride of Martinez, who used his pace to beat his defender and pass the ball across the box to find the feet of Kaeson Crosier. He put the nail in the coffin to give the Vikings their sixth goal of the game, walking away in their debut game with a 6-1 victory.

The Vikings play their next game on the road against Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia on Saturday, September 6 at 12 p.m. as they look to continue their winning ways on the road!