Georgia Southern 2, Appalachian State 0
BOONE, N.C. ? Georgia Southern scored goals in both halves and kept the Appalachian State men’s soccer team at bay to take a 2-0 decision over the Mountaineers in ASU’s Southern Conference opener Saturday afternoon.
Appalachian outshot the Eagles, 16-12, and had twice as many corner kicks, 8-4, but had difficulty creating scoring opportunities in its third-straight loss, dropping its record to 5-3-0 overall and 0-1-0 in the SoCon. GSU improves its record to 5-2-1 overall and 1-0-1 in league action.
Georgia Southern opened up its offense early, nearly scoring to two quick strikes that both ended up wide of the target. Appalachian kept the match scoreless until GSU added a quick goal 18 seconds before intermission. Kellen Stanley recorded the first tally, heading Daniel Smith’s redirection off a throw in into the center of the net.
The Eagles tacked on another goal in the 68th minute when Jon Cox collected Ben Reine’s through pass and maneuvered past the ASU defense to score on a breakaway.
Appalachian would try to pull within striking distance over the last 20 minutes but couldn’t put a ball past GSU keeper Adam Webb who finished with four saves. His counterpart, ASU’s Greg Walters (Raleigh, N.C.) stopped four shots as well in the loss.
Michael Walters (Raleigh, N.C.), Juan Obregon (Castle Rock, Colo.) and Arie Muniz (Spring, Texas) led Appalachian offensively with three shots each. Cox paced GSU with four shots.
Appalachian will attempt to rebound from its recent swoon on Tuesday, September 26 with a match against No. 6 Wake Forest. Kickoff in Winston-Salem, N.C. is schedule for 7 p.m.
Elon 2, UNC Asheville 1
ELON, N.C. -- The Elon Phoenix netted a goal with less than three minutes remaining in regulation to defeat the visiting UNC Asheville Bulldogs by a 2-1 score in front of 692 fans at Rudd Field in non-conference men’s soccer action on Saturday night. The game was the first game to be played under the newly installed lights at Rudd Field for the Phoenix men who improved to 8-2-1 on the season. UNCA dipped to 3-5-0.
Elon jumped out to an early lead when Justin Wyatt collected a pass from Matt Bengston and beat the Bulldog keeper for his fourth goal of the season. The marker came only 47 seconds into the contest.
The Bulldogs evened the score at one in the 13th minute when Barrett Locke netted his second score of the year. Andrew Klerekoper passed the ball into Locke who knocked the ball home with the equalizer.
The Phoenix had numerous chances in the second period to score, but kept being denied by the Bulldog defense. Elon finally capitalized when Will Mason blasted a shot that was saved by a Bulldog defender. The rebound off the save went to Brett Paschall who banged home the ball for the game-winner and his third score of the season in the 88th minute.
In what was a very physical contest, UNCA was whistled for 28 fouls to 13 for the Phoenix.
Elon’s Kyle Boerner made one save on two Bulldog shots on goal while going the distance in net. Phillip Horner stopped three shots for the Bulldogs in his 90 minutes in goal.
“I felt that our players stayed focused from the first whistle to the last whistle tonight against a well organized Asheville side,” said Elon head coach Darren Powell. “As a team, we’re just glad to pick up a win in our first night game at Rudd Field. The turnout and support from the fans was fantastic and we hope it continues for the rest of the season.”
The Phoenix will begin a five-game road trip on Tuesday night at North Carolina. Gametime is set for 7:00 p.m. in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Campbell 1, Davidson 0
DAVIDSON, N.C. With just six ticks remaining on the first half clock, Campbell?s Stephen Oyuga found the back of the net for the game?s only strike to lead the Fighting Camels to a 1-0 men?s soccer victory over Davidson on Saturday evening at Alumni Stadium. The win lifts Campbell to .500 on the 2006 campaign as it improves to 4-4-0, while the Wildcats? drop their third straight to fall to 4-6-0.
The eventual game-winning score came off a corner that was played into the box to Patrick Danford, who headed back to Oyuga for his first goal of the season.
The Wildcats? controlled a majority of the possession in the opening half out-shooting Campbell 8-5, but was unable to put away numerous chances.
“Campbell did what they had to do to pull out the victory,” commented Davidson head coach Matt Spear. “I thought in the first half we had control and created a number of good enough opportunities to put the game away, but lacked the hunger and skill to finish them off.”
Davidson had a pair of great chances to equalize early into the final stanza. The first came at the 55:40 mark when Whitey Bolan played a one touch to Mac Wilkie, who ripped a blast from the top of the 18 that sailed just over the frame. Just minutes later, Wildcat defender Robby Hoak came forward to attempt a free kick from just over 30 yards out, but his opportunity also missed high.
In the 72nd minute of play, Campbell couldn?t capitalize on a golden opportunity of its own to put another mark on the board. The Camels were award a penalty kick as a result of a Davidson foul just inside the box. Richard Jata took the freebie, but was turned away by Wildcat freshman keeper Robby Goldsberry and rebounded right to the foot of Josh Elliott, who hit the cross bar with his rip, which set up another CU strike that richocheted off the left post.
Despite the setback, Davidson managed a slim 16-13 advantage in shots.
Campbell?s Aaron Johnson turned away three shots en route to his first shutout of the year, while Goldsberry was impressive in goal for the second straight outing stopping four of his own for the Wildcats.
The win was the second straight for the Fighting Camels over Davidson in as many years as they now lead the all-time series 5-4-0.
“This loss hurts, because we knew we needed a win, but at the same time we also have to realize that it?s only one game,” remarked Coach Spear.
Davidson returns Alumni Stadium to conclude its three-game homestand Tuesday, Sept. 26 with a 7 p.m. contest against Southern Conference rival UNC Greensboro. The Fighting Camels will travel to DeLand, Fla., for their Atlantic Sun opener with Stetson at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28.
?We have to pick ourselves up quickly, there is no reason for self pity. We have to learn how to win games again after losing three in a row. Winning takes guts, grit and composure, and I think we are lacking in some areas as well as a little sharpness right now.?
Furman 1, Mercer 0
Macon, Ga. -- Chris Davis netted his second goal of the season in the 83rd minute to lift Furman to a 1-0 victory over Mercer in non-conference men’s soccer action Saturday afternoon in Macon, Ga.
After controlling most of the second half, Furman’s Dominic Cianciarulo found Davis eight yards from net and the junior beat the Mercer goalkeeper for the match’s only tally.
The match was back-and-forth early on as each team mounted a few opportunities. Senior Mark McKeever had a shot sail wide and a header just off the mark in the first 12 minutes for the Bears.
Furman junior Dominic Cianciarulo tested Mercer keeper Roberto Cronenbold twice in the next 10 minutes, but Cronenbold was up to the task each time making quality saves. Cronenbold registered six saves in the match.
The Bears best opportunity in the first half came when sophomore Winton Wilks ran with the ball up the right side of the field, but his shot was saved by the Paladins net-minder Bryan Amos. Shots were even in the first half at four apiece, but the second half was a different story as Furman out shot Mercer 11-4.
The physical match saw the Bears record 24 fouls to the Paladins’ 14 fouls. Amos notched two saves to claim the clean sheet.
Mercer will return to action on Thursday, Sept. 28 opening conference play with a 7 p.m. match versus Gardner-Webb at Bear Field. Furman, 5-4-0, travels to face Georgia Southern at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.