#23 Furman 2, Portland 0
Seattle, Wash. -- Eric Baffour broke open a scoreless match with a 10-yard strike just past the hour mark and Eliot Paschalis converted a late penalty kick to lift 23rd-ranked Furman to a 2-0 victory over the Portland Pilots in the opening game of the Husky Fever Classic at the University of Washington on Friday night.
The win helped Furman remain unbeaten and improve to 7-0-0 while the Pilots dropped to 2-3-1 on the season. The Paladins season-opening seven-match winning streak is the longest in school history eclipsing their six wins to open the 1999 campaign.
“We are happy to get a win tonight against a solid opponent after a long trip to the west coast,” said head coach Doug Allison. “We didn’t get many shots on goal, but we able to convert the chances we had. It was also great to break the school record for most wins to open the season, and we were excited to do it in front of a good group of Furman alumni”
Portland managed a 5-3 edge in shots on goal and 6-4 advantage in corner kicks, but the Paladins made good on two of their three opportunities.
Baffour opened the scoring with his team-leading sixth goal in the 62nd minute. Shea Salinas and Brooks Duff set up the sophomore who buried a shot from inside the box to give the Paladins a 1-0 lead.
A possible Portland comeback was made tougher in the 74th minute when Collin Warner was issued a red card putting the Pilots a man down for the final 16 minutes of play. Furman capitalized quickly as Shea Salinas was taken down in the box and Paschalis calmly converted his second attempt of the season from the penalty spot to up the Paladin lead to 2-0.
Bryan Amos notched the Paladins sixth shutout in seven matches stopping five Portland shots. Furman has allowed just one goal in 630 minutes this season while outscoring its opponents 23-1.
Furman is back in action Sunday when it faces host and 22nd-ranked Washington in the Husky Fever Classic finale at 4:30 p.m. eastern time.
Washington will provide live streaming video through its website www.gohuskies.com. Fans can also follow the match between the nationally-ranked Paladins and Huskies via Gametracker at www.furmanpaladins.com.
Stetson 3, Wofford 1
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Wofford men's soccer team opened play Friday in the UCF Invitational with a 3-1 defeat against Stetson in Orlando, Fla., at the UCF Soccer Complex.
The Terriers claimed the early 1-0 lead when Kyle Walker sent a cross inside the penalty box to Moe Kelli, who then found the back of the net at 20:44. The score would hold up as Wofford (2-3-1) entered halftime with the lead.
Stetson (4-2) then would overtake the Terriers with a pair of goals just over a minute a part to take the lead and eventual victory. The Hatters' first tally came at 60:49 when Tanner Wolfe nailed a rebound past Wofford keeper Joey Taylor. Just a short time later, Griffin Gilstrap sent a corner kick into the box, which found Eugene Starikov for the go-ahead score.
The home-state team kept the pressure on the Terrier defense and struck again when a strike via the foot of Kirk Labush nicked the underside of the crossbar only to fall over the goalline for the final tally.
Both teams will resume play in the tournament Sunday. Wofford will face host UCF at 2:30 p.m. following the College of Charleston-Stetson match slated for Noon.
#24 California 2, Davidson 1
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Despite leading at the break on Robby Hoak’s 18th career strike, Davidson fell to nationally-ranked California 2-1 in the opening round of the 2007 Nike Stanford Invitational Friday evening at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium. The setback drops the Wildcats to 1-5-0 overall, while No. 24 Cal improves to 3-2-1.
A 6-4 forward from Raleigh, N.C., Hoak netted his team-leading third score of the campaign and second in as many contests on a left-footed blast from about 18 yards out. Both Alex Caskey and Machel Turner recorded assists on the preseason all-conference selection’s 26th minute score.
Just prior to the break, Cameron Griffin had a chance to give the Wildcats a 2-0 advantage, but the junior co-captain’s one-on-one attempt with Cal’s keeper sailed just high of frame.
Early into the second period, California’s Andrew Wiedeman provided the equalizer at the 55:11 mark on a shot that deflected off a Wildcat defender.
Like the first half, Davidson had a number of great scoring chances, but were unable to capitalize. Perhaps the Wildcats best opportunity came when Griffin centered a pass to Turner, who just missed getting his foot on the ball from point blank range. Charlie Reiter was there to follow up Cal’s attempted clear, but Stefan Frei recorded one of his four saves in net to keep the contest tied 1-1.
“Our guys continue to play quality soccer,” commented Davidson head coach Matt Spear. “We are very close and just need to stay after it and finish stronger.”
With under three minutes remaining, Wiedeman gave the Bears the lead for good with his second goal of the affair. The freshman forward’s game winner was set up by Andrew Jacobson.
The Bears finished the match with a 17-12 advantage in shots.
Davidson will conclude its appearance in the 2007 Nike Stanford Invitational against the host Cardinal at 5:30 p.m. (EST) Sunday. The Bears and Princeton will kickoff the final day of the event prior to the Wildcats’ match with Stanford.
“We need to stay confident. Stanford is another quality opponent, and our guys will be up to the challenge,” said Spear.
Central Florida 3, College of Charleston 2
ORLANDO, Fla. - A late goal by junior Ryan Roushandel (Atlanta, Ga./Marist School) gave the UCF men's soccer team a 3-2 victory over the previously unbeaten College of Charleston in the first round at the UCF Fall Classic on Friday night.
"It is good to get a win at home, especially against a formidable, well-coached Charleston team, who battles for the full 90 minutes," said UCF head coach Bryan Cunningham, whose team improved to 3-3-1 on the year. "We knew going into the match that we would have to be focused the entire game because this is the way these matches go against a top South Region opponent."
After sophomore Kareem Yearwood put the Cougars (6-1-0) on the board first with a goal in the 14th minute, UCF senior James George (New Castle, Australia) countered, sending the ball into the left corner on free kick 10 minutes later.
With four minutes remaining to play in the first period, junior Tyler Davis (Safety Harbor, Fla./Berkley Prep) had a chance to give the Knights the edge but his shot went just wide and score remained tied 1-1 at intermission.
UCF also had an opportunity to take the lead in the 49th minute when junior Mike Mattson (Boca Raton, Fla./Pope John Paul II HS) sent a header toward Charleston's goal with goalkeeper Corbin Waller out of position, but a Cougar defender cleared the ball.
Yearwood put his team up 2-1 in the 72nd minute before UCF sophomore Cam Jordan (Fort Wayne, Ind./Canterbury HS) corralled a deflection off a defender to net his first goal of the year in the 78th minute. Mattson assisted with the original cross into the box.
Benefiting from the depth on their bench, the Knights continued to earn quality scoring chances, but it was Roushandel who recorded the deciding goal in the 79th minute when he served a ball that dropped behind Waller.
"We were able to utilize our guys on the bench who haven't seen a lot of significant minutes lately, so we had some fresh legs," said Cunningham. "Every guy who came in off the bench had an impact on this game. That is what we need in order to be successful."
UCF finished the game with a slight 16-13 advantage in shots. Knights' goalkeeper Sean Johnson (Lilburn, Ga./Brookwood HS) made four saves on the night, while Waller, who had only allowed one goal in six matches prior to Friday's match, stopped eight shots.
The Knights were ranked No. 10 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America South Region poll, while Charleston was voted No. 7.
In the earlier weather-delayed match, Stetson (4-2-0) used three goals in the second half to earn a 3-1 win over Wofford (2-3-1). All of the Hatters' tallies came after the 60th minute as Tanner Wolfe, Eugene Starikov and Kirk Labush each scored. Moe Kelli got the lone goal for the Terriers.
The UCF Fall Classic continues on Sunday, Sept. 23 when Stetson takes on Charleston at noon followed by UCF versus Wofford at 2:30 p.m. Admission to all UCF home soccer matches is free. Parking is available for $5 in Garage F.