Elon 2, Mount St. Mary’s 0
ELON, N.C. -- An early flurry of scoring in the second half, led by two assists from Aaron Parker, lifted the Elon Phoenix to a 2-0 non-conference men's soccer victory over visiting Mount St. Mary's from Rudd Field on Sunday afternoon. Elon, who has not allowed a goal in the last 205:53 of play, has shut out two consecutive opponents to move its record to 2-2-1. The Mount fell to 1-2-1 on the year.
The Phoenix dominated the first half, allowing just one shot and getting off eight of its own. Of those eight, six found their way on goal, but were turned away by the Mountaineer's Chris Davis.
After a scoreless first stanza, Elon quickly found its way on the board in half number two. Just 1:15 into the period, Aaron Parker crossed a ball to Justin Wyatt who beat Davis for his team-leading third goal of the season.
At 53:58 the Phoenix struck again. Erfan Imeni played a ball toward the left side of the goal for Parker who crossed the ball to Brett Paschall. Paschall's one-timer found the twine and gave Elon a 2-0 advantage. It was the second marker of the year for Paschall.
Davis was kept busy all afternoon and made nine saves. For Elon, Clint Irwin earned the clean sheet by making two stops.
All told, Elon blasted 20 shots to just five for Mount St. Mary's, including a 12-2 edge in shots on goal. The game was also marred by 28 total fouls and four cards. The Phoenix also held the edge in corner kicks by a 6-2 margin.
Elon will travel to UNC Asheville for a 4:00 p.m. match on Wednesday, September 19 for its next contest.
Georgia Southern 1, Radford 0
ROCK HILL, S.C. ? BJ Reine’s goal at the 2:03 mark combined with a strong Georgia Southern defense to give the Eagles a 1-0 shutout win over Radford, Sunday afternoon, at the Wingate Inn Classic.
The win on neutral ground improves the Eagles’ record to 2-4-0 on the season and snaps a four-game skid. Radford drops to 3-3-0 with the loss.
The Eagles’ goal was set up by junior Daniel Smith (Marietta, Ga.) who dribbled past a defender and played the ball to the left where Reine (Baton, Rouge, La.) one-touched the ball from eight yards out into the far corner of the goal.
The strike was one of four that the Eagles produced in the first half, compared to the Highlanders’ five.
“BJ (Reine) had a great goal. We were fortunate to finish one of the opportunities that we created,” said head coach Kevin Kennedy. “The boys were committed to not give up a soft goal. Radford put us under some pressure.”
After the break, Radford turned up the offensive threat, but the Eagles would not relinquish the lead. Though the Highlanders added nine more shots in the second half, Georgia Southern was able to hold on for the win.
Senior goalkeeper Brian Young (Roswell, Ga.) was credited with the shutout victory, the team’s second on the young season. Backup keeper Josh Veal (Lilburn, Ga.) stopped four shots in the second half.
Young was named to the All-Classic team, along with teammates Sean Sandoval (Aurora, Colo.) and Luigi Clendening (Augusta, Ga.).
“We felt like Brian’s leadership and communication was what we needed,” said Kennedy. “He played really well for us today.”
Additionally, Reine was named the tournament’s Offensive Most Valuable Player after registering one goal on four shots.
“More than anything, it’s good to get a win,” said Kennedy. “Now the focus is on North Florida and we hope to continue to improve as we prepare for Southern Conference play.”
After concluding the seven-game stretch of road games, the Eagles will continue action as they return home to Eagle Field to host North Florida. The non-conference match-up is slated for Wednesday, Sep. 19 at 5 p.m.
Furman 5, UNC Asheville 0
Spartanburg, S.C. -- Haris Cekic netted two goals in the opening 15 minutes as 22nd-ranked Furman overwhelmed UNC Asheville 5-0 to claim the Wofford/Adidas Invitational title and remain unbeaten Sunday afternoon at Snyder Field.
The win improves Furman to 6-0-0 on the season while UNCA dips to 1-2-0.
Freshman Brooks Duff put the Paladins ahead just over four minutes into the match chipping a shot over Bulldog keeper Phillip Horner and into the far side netting. Furman upped the advantage to 2-0 on a restart at 10:09 as Eliot Paschalis’ free kick was volleyed into the back of the net by Cekic. The London, Ontario, native and tournament offensive MVP doubled his total just minutes later redirecting a Patrick Murray free kick past Horner to give Furman a 3-0 lead at 14:34.
Sophomore Eric Baffour finished the first half scoring at 21:36 receiving a pass from Paschalis, spinning and lining a shot into the upper-righthand corner from 10 yards away.
The Paladins held a 9-4 edge in shot attempts in the first half and 19-6 advantage for the match. Murray capped the five-goal outburst in the opening two minutes of the second half hammering a shot into the left side netting from 35 yards out for the final 5-0 margin.
Senior goalkeeper Bryan Amos, with two saves, joined Cekic in collecting honors as he was named the tournament’s defensive MVP after helping Furman to its second straight shutout. Patrick White, Takato Ban, Chris Davis and Shea Salinas also garnered all-tournament accolades.
Furman returns to action Friday at the Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash., when it faces the Portland Pilots at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time. Furman will face host Washington in the tournament finale next Sunday at 4:30 p.m.
College of Charleston 2, Coastal Carolina 1
The College of Charleston captured the UNCW/Jameson Inn Classic title with a pair of second half goals in a 2-1 win over in-state foe Coastal Carolina on Sunday at the UNCW Soccer Stadium.
The Cougars run their record to 6-0 with their sixth straight win to open the season while the Chanticleers drop to 1-4-1 with their second one-goal loss of the weekend. Charleston also claimed its third in-season tournament title with the weekend sweep.
The game-winning goal came by way of an own goal in the 89th minute by Coastal Carolina. Charleston's Wes Knight sent a low cross into the goalie box where a CCU defender slid and knocked the ball into the goal.
CofC trailed 1-0 entering the final 16 minutes of the match when Zach Prince drew the Cougars even after converting a rebound at the 74:54 mark following a shot by Kareem Yearwood.
Yearwood was named Offensive MVP of the tournament while CofC goalie Corbin Waller received Defensive MVP honors. Wes Knight and Ryan Kell were named to the All-Tournament Team.
The Cougars are back in action Friday when the travel to Orlando, Fla., to play University of Central Florida at 7:30 in the Central Florida Tournament.
Robert Morris 2, Wofford 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- A goal with under a minute remaining in regulation was the deciding factor as visiting Robert Morris topped Wofford, 2-1, Sunday afternoon in the first match of the day as part of the Wofford/adidas Invitational at Snyder Field.
The Terriers had held much of the possession in the second half but it was a late foul that set up the winning goal for the Colonials. Wofford (2-2-1) was whistled for an infraction 25 yards from its own goal. As the clock continued to tick, it was stopped with :20 seconds left to allow Robert Morris the opportunity.
On the ensuing kick, Jacek Przednowek placed the ball in the upper left corner with :17 seconds showing to give the visitors the victory.
Wofford battled back from a one-goal deficit to knot the score at 1-1 early in the second half. Goalkeeper Joey Taylor punted the ball to midfield, where it was corralled by Armin Kinigadner. Kinigader found fellow freshman Kentrel Owens slipping behind the Colonial defense, who then placed it just inside the net at 46:42.
Przednowek had given Robert Morris (5-2) a 1-0 advantage heading into halftime. He was on the receiving end of a long punt by his goalkeeper, Matt Felice, and then at a difficult angle, slipped it near side past Taylor at 34:34.
The Terriers were led by four shots from senior Kyle Walker, while Przednowek’s three attempts paced the Colonials.
Wofford will look to rebound at its second-straight tournament next weekend when it travels to Orlando, Fla., for the UCF Tournament. The Terriers will face Stetson in their first contest at 5 p.m. Friday before tangling with host UCF at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
In the tournament’s other Sunday match, No. 22 Furman captured the team title by defeating UNC Asheville, 5-0, behind a pair of goals from Haris Cekic. Eliot Paschalis had two assists for the Paladins, who have a 6-0 start to the season and an identical record in their play at the Wofford/adidas Invitational.