Appalachian State 3, UNC Greensboro 2
GREENSBORO, NC ? Barat Killian scored the game-winner on a head with 6:06 to play as Appalachian State handed UNC Greensboro its first conference loss of the season with a 3-2 setback on Saturday night at UNCG Soccer Stadium.
The loss snapped UNCG’s four-game winning streak and five-game unbeaten streak. UNC Greensboro remains in first place in the Southern Conference, but saw its lead over the pack dwindle. UNCG has 10 points with a 3-1-1 mark, followed by College of Charleston at 3-0-0 for nine points. Those two teams meet in Charleston, SC on Wednesday night. Elon and Appalachian State are now tied for third with seven points with identical 2-1-1 marks.
Killian’s header was an odd play. Shawn Berting floated the ball into the box from the right side of the field. Killian was amidst three UNCG players in front of the goal and got a head on it, but did not make real solid contact. Instead, the ball floated high in the air over the crowd and just tucked into the top right corner of the goal to break a 2-2 deadlock.
After Appalachian State had taken an early 1-0 lead on a goal by Paul Pessina, the Spartans came back to take a 2-1 lead. Thomas Campbell scored his fourth goal of the season at 25:37 on a blast from the top right corner of the box to tie the score.
The score remained that way until the second half when Henning Jonasson scored at 62:30 on a beautifully placed free kick from 22 yards out into the top right corner of the goal. It was Jonasson’s fourth goal of the season and gave the Spartans a 2-1 advantage.
But Appalachian State tied the score less than five minutes later. McCoy Livingston got his head on a ball off the foot of Corey Lugger. The ball went just inside the right post, glancing off the post and possibly a defender before going into the net, to tie the score. The assist was Lugger’s second of the night.
UNCG outshot Appalachian State, 14-8, for the night and had an 11-5 advantage in corner kicks.
Davidson 1, Wofford 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- A score just before halftime by visiting Davidson held up as the only mark on the scoreboard as the Wildcats prevailed, 1-0, in a physical battle against Wofford Friday evening in Southern Conference men's soccer action at Snyder Field in Spartanburg, S.C.
As the clock was winding down near intermission, Davidson's (5-9, 1-4 SoCon) David Sartorio, standing behind the midfield stripe, sent a long serve to the streaking Ryan Adeleye 25 yards from the goal mouth. Adeleye was able to take the pass in stride as he dribbled past a pair of Terrier defenders to set up a one-on-one encounter with Wofford (2-10-1, 0-4 SoCon) goalkeeper Russ Sandifer. Adeleye let the ball fly just as he stepped inside the 18-yard box and the shot found the back of the net past Sandifer for the game's only tally at 43:57.
The Terriers had chances in the second half to equalize the score, including a shot just wide by senior Brandon Lowery just over minutes into the stanza. Sophomore Will Mabry had intercepted a Wildcat backline pass and fed it to Lowery, who turned and fired but missed the wide-open goal from 20 yards out.
Both teams battled hard throughout the entire contest with the total foul count equaling 46 and six cards being issued, including two red citations. A player for each school received a red.
Wofford maintained possession and control of the flow of the game throughout the first 15 minutes before Davidson countered the rest of the match and finished with a 21-9 shot advantage.
The Wildcats' Robby Goldsberry recorded two saves in the shutout, while Sandifer stopped eight Davidson attempts in his second-straight start.
The Terriers will welcome Georgia Southern to Snyder Field for their next contest, a 4 p.m. Tuesday match.