UNC Greensboro 2, Furman 1
Greenville, S.C. ? Thomas Campbell scored with just over three minutes remaining as UNC Greensboro defeated Furman 2-1 on Friday night in a battle for the Southern Conference Championship. The win also gave UNCG head coach Michael Parker his 350th win at the Spartan helm.
Furman nearly opened the scoring in the ninth minute as Chris Davis’ through ball found Eliot Paschalis behind the Spartan defense. Paschalis touched the ball around the charging UNCG goalkeeper, but his shot to an empty net was chased down and cleared away by a Spartan defender.
UNC Greensboro got on the board first on 17 minutes off a Jokull Elisabetarson goal. Scott Jones received the ball in the middle of the field, 30 yards from goal. He played the ball to the right channel to a streaking Elisabetarson. The sophomore from Iceland hit a driving shot that struck the post, but the rebound caromed off of Furman goalkeeper Bryan Amos and into the goal.
Michael FitzGerald looked to add another first half goal as his shot from
15 yards out beat Amos in the 37th minute. The assistant referee, however, ruled that FitzGerald was offside.
Furman looked to the offensive in the 40th minute pushing toward the Spartan goal with multiple attackers. Dominic Cianciarulo found Shea Salinas with a through ball to the right post, but Salinas’ shot sailed just over the crossbar.
Cianciarulo narrowly missed pulling Furman level in the 57th minute. His 30 yard shot from the left corner beat goalkeeper Nate Berry and looked to be dipping into the upper corner of the right post, but the shot hit the post and ricocheted across the mouth of the goal and was cleared by the Spartan defense.
The Paladins found the equaliser on 60 minutes on Paschalis’ third goal of the season. Patrick Murray played a ball to Salinas down the right side.
The junior from Grapevine, Texas took the ball to the endline and sent a low cross into the box. Paschalis made a run through the area and flicked the ball past Berry to the far post.
Furman went a man down in the 68th minute after it appeared that Chris Davis challenged the UNCG goalkeeper with his boot and was issued a straight red card.
Patrick Murray looked to have been taken down in the box on 73 minutes, but the referee was having none of it, and the penalty was not awarded.
FitzGerald was sent off in the 78th minute for violent misconduct after kicking a Furman defender after the whistle was blown, leveling the sides at ten players apiece.
Salinas got the ball in the box with less than five minutes to play. He played the ball around a defender and was pulled down in the box, but again no penalty was awarded.
UNCG took the lead in the 87th minute as Thomas Campbell took the ball at midfield and dribbled through the Furman defense and put a 20 yard shot to the far post just out of the reach of a diving Amos.
With the loss, Furman falls to 9-6-1 on the season, 4-2-1 in the Southern Conference. UNCG improves to 11-6-1 overall, 5-1-1 conference action. The Spartans win the 2006 Southern Conference Regular Season Championship.
Furman returns to action on Monday as the Paladins play host to Lipscomb in the final regular season home game.
Liberty 1, Wofford 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- One goal was all visiting Liberty needed to claim a 1-0 victory Friday night at Snyder Field against the Wofford men's soccer team in non-conference action at Snyder Field.
The Flames scored the game's only tally at 71:00 when, after a Terrier foul, Brandon Patterson sent the ensuing direct kick towards the goal mouth. The pass found the head of a streaking Toby Lewis on the left-hand side before landing in the back of the net to the far post past the Wofford (2-14-1) defense and goalkeeper Russ Sandifer. Patterson's pass came from 40 yards out and hit Lewis in-stride near the eight-yard mark.
In a game that was played very evenly, Liberty (7-5) held a 13-8 shot advantage. Patterson and Lewis each had three shots to pace the Flames. Freshman Yakov Rubinchik registered a career-high five shots to lead all players.
Prior to the game's start, the Terriers honored Joel Kozak, Brandon Lowery and Sandifer who were playing in their final home matches in a Wofford uniform as part of Senior Night festivities.
Wofford's regular-season campaign is over and the Terriers will travel to Greensboro, N.C., to face regular-season champion and top-seed UNC Greensboro in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament Oct. 28.