Appalachian State 4, VMI 1
BOONE, N.C. ? On a chamber of commerce day, following one of the most exciting days in Appalachian history, Appalachian State men’s soccer team claimed a 4-1 victory over VMI 4-1. The match was the fourth and final of the 2007 Broyhill Inn and Conference Center Appalachian Classic. The victory is the first of the season for Appalachian who channelled the excitement of Appalachian Nation into a different type of Football.
“We executed very well today”, said head coach Paul Stahlschmidt. “That was the main difference between our loss on Friday and a win today. We battled hard and worked hard in all 180 minutes of match-time this weekend, but having the execution there made all the difference.”
The Mountaineers were led by senior midfielder Sean Sassano who notched a natural hat trick. Sassano opened his scoring account for the season in the 30th minute finishing the free kick of senior Michael Walters from the edge of the six yard box.
“I’m really proud of what Sean did today,” said Stahlschmidt. “He works hard for every chance that he gets.”
Sassano continued his scoring in the 55th minute as he pushed home a rebound from a Walters shot just outside the mouth of the goal. Only 59 seconds later, Sassano earned the hat trick as he tested the goalkeeper from the edge of the 18-yard box and found the net. With the goals, Sassano is off and running towards besting his 2006 total of 6 goals.
Sophomore Arie Muniz added to the lead in the 70th minute with his first goal of the season. Junior Juan Obregon produced a long cross to the foot of Muniz who finished from 15 yards out.
Junior goalkeeper Tyler Smith played the entire match in goal and earned his first career win. By only allowing one goal, Smith improves his goals-against-average to 1.50 per match.
Smith, Sassano and Aaron Ammar each earned All-Tournament team honors superior performances over the course of the weekend.
Appalachian will now take to the road by traveling to Bowling Green, Ky. for the Western Kentucky University Invitational. The Mountaineers will take on IUPUI on Friday, September 7 at 5:00 followed by Butler on Sunday, September 9 at noon.
College of Charleston 4, Birmingham-Southern 1
Matt Morris led the CofC men’s soccer team to the 4-1 win over Birmingham Southern in the championship game of the Saturn of Charleston Soccer Classic Sun., Sept. 2, at Patriots Point Field.
Morris headed in a goal in the 14th minute with an assist from Wes Knight. David Levine rebounded a shot off of Panther goalie Joe Nasco in the 40th minute to add to the Cougar lead. Midfielder Grant Guthrie quickly followed Levine with a goal of his own in the 41st minute.
Kareem Yearwood scored his second goal of the tournament and the season early in the second half (57:36) off an assist from Knight.
Corbin Waller who had four saves on the weekend, was named tournament MVP.
CofC dominated the Panthers offensively with 12 shots to six.
The victory brings the Cougars record to 2-0-0 for the season. Birmingham Southern’s record after the weekend is 1-1-0.
CofC will host the Aaron Olitsky Memorial Tournament presented by Nike, Fri. Sept. 7, and Sun., Sept. 9, at Patriots Point Field. The Cougars will face UNC Wilmington Friday and Charlotte Sunday.
Birmingham Southern (1-1-0) vs. Col of Charleston (2-0-0)
Date: Sep 02, 2007 Attendance: 308
Weather: Steady Rain, mid 80s
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
-------------------------------
Birmingham Southern. 0 1 - 1
Col of Charleston... 3 1 - 4
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 13:10 COFC Matt Morris (1) (Wes Knight)
2. 39:53 COFC David Levine (1) (unassisted)
3. 40:55 COFC Grant Guthrie (1) (unassisted)
4. 57:36 COFC Kareem Yearwood (2) (Wes Knight) - Assisted by Wes Knight. 2nd of the season
5. 80:40 BSC OWN GOAL (1) (unassisted) - Own goal, shot by CofC
Shots: Birmingham Southern 6, Col of Charleston 12
Saves: Birmingham Southern 3 (NASCO, Joe 3), Col of Charleston 2
(Corbin Waller 1; TEAM 1)
Championship game of Saturn of Charleston Soccer Classic
James Madison 4, UNC Greensboro 1
HARRISONBURG, VA ? UNC Greensboro’s Jokull Elisabetarson scored on a penalty kick midway through the second half, but that was the only scoring the Spartans could muster on Sunday as James Madison topped UNCG, 4-1, at the JMU/Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Club Men’s Soccer Tournament.
The Spartans, ranked No. 23 in the NSCAA’s Pre-season Top 25, fell to 1-1-0 on the season. The Dukes, who lost to Marshall at home on Friday night by a 1-0 score, raised their mark to 1-1-0 on the young season.
The Dukes took a 1-0 lead late in the first half when Kyle Morsink scored unassisted from 20 yards out at 36:57. But they waisted no time in the second half, scoring just 2:04 after intermission. Lucas Domgoergen scored unassisted from five yards out to give James Madison a 2-0 advantage.
Elisabetarson netted the penalty kick at 59:30 to cut the deficit in half, 2-1, and give the Spartans life. However, the Dukes scored twice in the final 11 minutes to put the match away. Nick Zimmerman scored off a feed from Stefan Durr at 79:41, followed by C.J. Sapong’s tally a little over five minutes later.
James Madison held a 12-11 advantage in shots, while UNCG had a 5-4 advantage in corner kicks.
UNCG returns to action next weekend when it hosts the UNCG Soccer Classic.
The Spartans will host Dayton at approximately 7:30 pm on Friday night, following the first match of the tournament between Davidson and Lafayette.
AGATE
UNCG................ 0..1..- 1
James Madison....... 1..3..- 4
SCORING SUMMARY: JMU Morsink, (unassisted), 36:57; 47:04 JMU Domgoergen, (unassisted), 47:04; UNCG Elisabetarson (penalty kick), 59:30; JMU Zimmerman, (Durr), 79:41; JMU Sapong, (Rice,D'Agostino,), 84:51. Shots:
UNCG 11, James Madison 12. Saves: UNCG 4 (Berry 4), James Madison 3 (Manahan 3). Corner kicks: UNCG 5, James Madison 4. Fouls: UNCG 12, James Madison 23.
Western Illinois 1, Georgia Southern 0
BOONE, N.C. ? Western Illinois edged Georgia Southern, 1-0, Sunday afternoon, garnering the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center Appalachian Classic title.
The Eagles fall to 1-1 in the early season, while non-conference opponent WIU, seeking to defend their 2006 Summit League title, remains undefeated with a 2-0 record.
The Leathernecks fired six shots in the first half, but were unable to convert their shots to goals as GSU’s sophomore keeper Joey Ralph (Martinez, Ga.) made three stops.
Though the Eagles tallied three corner kicks in the first stanza, they struggled to threaten offensively, failing to get a shot off until the second half.
It wasn’t until the 48th minute that GSU fired its first shot on goal, which came by way of Austin Steele (Kennesaw, Ga.). Steele’s shot was stopped by WIU keeper Charlie Sales.
Steele tallied another shot in the 59th minute which was followed three minutes later by teammate Matt Crowell (St. Augustine, Fla.) who registered a shot on goal, but it was saved by Sales.
The game remained scoreless until Western Illinois snapped the drought in the 72nd minute. Leatherneck Luke Greenwell converted a pass inside the box from teammate Martin Browne, Jr. into a winner, giving WIU the 1-0 advantage.
Georgia Southern’s next best opportunity to score came in the 81st minute when David Leonard (Augusta, Ga.) unleashed a shot on goal, but Sales was there to make the third of three saves on the day and claim the victory.
Western Illinois held the advantage in the shots category, 9-6, but the Eagles had a 7-3 edge in corner kicks.
“I was overall pleased with the way we played,” said head coach Kevin Kennedy. “We were able to possess the ball and I felt that we played very good defensively. They capitalized on the opportunities, but the opportunities we had, we didn’t capitalize. It was a tough loss, but I was pleased overall with the way we played.”
With only two games down in the record books, second-year coach Kennedy sees the improvement in just a short amount of time.
“I think that although the results didn’t go our way, we are playing better,” added Kennedy. “I really thought we showed a lot of maturity and character. I was pleased with the effort.”
Earning All-Tournament Team honors were Kim Kroken (Blystadia, Norway), Jon Kinsler (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and Joey Ralph.
“I think Kim, Joey and Jon all had a great tournament. I think Joey had some great stops. Kim gave us composure and control in the back. Jon went 90 minutes in both games and his work rate at midfield was excellent.”
Georgia Southern will look to bounce back as the team next travels to Macon, Ga. to compete in the Mercer Invitational. There the Eagles will first battle Alabama A&M, Friday, Sept. 7 at 5 p.m. Two days later, the Eagles will face tournament host Mercer with the match kicking off at 5 p.m.
San Jose State 3, Davidson 2 (2OT)
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Despite rallying from two goals down to tie the score, Davidson suffered a 3-2 double overtime loss to San Jose State on Efrain Burgos' 101st minute golden goal on the final day of the 2007 Davidson adidas Classic. SJSU concluded the event 2-0, while the Wildcats fall to 0-2 on the campaign.
Just under two minutes into the second overtime, San Jose State's Ismael Ibarra raced down the left side, split a pair of Wildcat defenders and fired a shot that Davidson's Ben Ashton was unable to corral as Burgos was their to put away the rebound.
"Losing in overtime always feels horrible," said Wildcat head coach Matt Spear. "The biggest positive was the energy and purpose we showed to attack the goal in the second half."
After threatening with a number of chances early into the match, San Jose State's Nick Cukar broke the scoreless tie when Davidson's keeper mishandled a Spartan corner kick in the 30th minute.
San Jose State wasted little time extending its lead with an Ibarra strike just three minutes later. On a Spartan counter, Ibarra caught Ashton off his line and blasted a shot from just shy of midfield over the head of the Wildcats' goalkeeper to send SJSU into the half up, 2-0.
Trailing by two goals at the break, Davidson came out with a burst of energy in the second period and quickly made it a 2-1 contest on Robby Hoak's 15th career goal. The 50th minute score by the preseason all-conference selection was assisted by Tom Lavan, who found the sliding Hoak from the far right side.
The Wildcats continued to create scoring opportunities in the last frame and finally were able to equalize with Liam Bracken's rip from about 18 yards out. Davidson's game-tying score was set up when Hoak played a long pass from the left side to a streaking Lavan, who one touched it back to Bracken for his first collegiate goal.
With just 12 seconds remaining in regulation, Davidson's Hoak just missed getting his right foot on a centering pass from Josh Zipin that would have been the difference maker for the Wildcats.
"We showed some really good fazes this weekend, now we need to prove we can play a full 90 minutes of soccer."
Davidson returns to action Friday, Sept. 7, when it battles Laffayette in the opening round of the UNC Greensboro adidas Classic at 5 p.m. The Spartans will travel to in-state rival San Francisco for a 7 p.m. contest Sept. 9.
San Jose State 3, Davidson 2 (Double Overtime)
1 2 OT OT F
San Jose State 2 0 0 1 3
Davidson 0 2 0 0 2
Scoring
SJSU (30:03) Nick Cukar (unassisted)
SJSU (33:34) Ismael Ibarra (unassisted)
DAV (50:56) Robby Hoak (Tom Lavan)
DAV (63:00) Liam Bracken (Hoak, Lavan)
SJSU (101:43) Efrain Burgos (unassisted)
Shots: SJSU 19, DAV 21
Corner Kicks: SJSU 5, DAV 8
Saves: SJSU 5 (Richard Mann), DAV 7 (Ben Ashton 6, TEAM 1)
Fouls: SJSU 14, DAV 15
Yellow Cards: SJSU -- Julio Gonzalez (13:42), Savio Carrijo (22:37), Oscar Monjares (70:17), Colby Moore (77:07); DAV -- Tom Lavan (13:37), Cameron Griffin (99:37)
Furman 3, Florida Gulf Coast 0
Conway, S.C. -- Three freshmen tallied goals and goalkeeper Bryan Amos helped Furman to its second straight shutout at the Paladins topped Florida Gulf Coast 3-0 to claim the Coastal Carolina/adidas Invitational title Sunday afternoon at CCU Soccer Field.
Defender Patrick White buried a header off of a corner and an assist from Michael Erwood in the 27th minute to provide all the offense Furman would need. The game’s opening tally marked the first career goal for the Paladin freshman.
With the verdict still in doubt in the 72nd minute, freshman Curt McDonald took a Shea Salinas pass and beat keeper Adam Glick with a 20-yard shot to net his first collegiate goal and extend the lead to 2-0. Haris Cekic capped the scoring at 82:24 taking a Brooks Duff pass and beating the keeper with a shot inside the right post for his first points as a Paladin.
The shutout, along with Furman’s 6-0 victory over Saint Joseph’s on Friday, gave the Paladins the tournament title as the only undefeated team. Senior Eliot Paschalis, with a goal and two assists on the weekend, earned tournament offensive most valuable player accolades while defender Jon Leathers garnered defensive mvp honors. Eric Baffour and Erwood were also named to the all-tournament team.
Amos tallied two saves for Furman while Glick notched six stops for the Eagles. The Paladins dominated possession and held a commanding 17-5 edge in shot attempts.
Florida Gulf Coast, who had opened tournament play downing host Coastal Carolina 3-2, fell to 1-1 on the season.
Furman (2-0) opens the home portion of its schedule on Friday hosting Presbyterian in the opening round of the Diadora/Spinx Furman Invitational at Stone Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
William & Mary 1, Elon 0
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- Jeremy Harris broke a scoreless tie in the 55th minute with a blast to the upper left of the goal to lead the William & Mary Tribe to a 1-0 non-conference men's soccer victory over the Elon Phoenix in Saturday evening's season-opener. The Tribe now owns a 1-0-0 record while the Phoenix sits at 0-1-0. With the victory, William & Mary improved to 30-6-2 all-time in home openers.
Both squads managed just one shot on goal in the first half and the two keepers were up to the task as each recorded one save in the stanza.
The 0-0 score was broken at the 54:53 mark when Harris chested down a pass from Doug Ernst and beat Elon's Clint Irwin to the upper left corner of the frame for the only goal of the contest. That shot was the only one on goal for William & Mary of the second half while the Phoenix was unable to put a shot on goal in that same span.
Overall, Elon got off six shots to seven for William & Mary. The Phoenix held a 9-3 edge in corner kicks, but was unable to convert any of them into a score.
Both Irwin and William & Mary's Brennan Wergley made one save.
Elon will return home to take on the High Point Panthers on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m.
Georgia Southern 2, VMI 0
STATESBORO, Ga. ? For the fourth consecutive year, the Georgia Southern men’s soccer team opened up the regular season with a victory, this time shutting out Virginia Military Institute, 2-0, at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center Appalachian Classic, Friday in Boone, N.C.
Heavy rains caused a change of venue from the ASU Soccer Stadium to Kidd Brewer Stadium where the two teams clashed for the 15th time in the series history.
Though the first half saw Georgia Southern fire 11 shots, compared to VMI’s three, it wasn’t until three minutes into the second half that the Eagles netted their first goal.
Sophomore forward Jon-Pierre Anthony (Birmingham, Ala.) scored the game winning goal in the 48th minute after dribbling into the box and firing a shot from three yards out. The goal was unassisted and is his first wearing the blue and white.
“I felt the game was exactly what we thought it would be,” said second year head coach Kevin Kennedy. “VMI was organized and fit. It took us a while to break them down and we had to grind it out. It certainly wasn’t’ easy. We found it difficult to play with any certain rhythm.”
The Eagles continued to pound the ball up the field, registering nine shots in the second half. Freshman forward Luigi Clendening (Augusta, Ga.) was responsible for GSU’s insurance goal in the 88th minute. Junior forward Daniel Smith (Marietta, Ga.) connected with Clendening at the edge of the six yard box and the newcomer found the back of the net, scoring his first collegiate goal.
The Eagles showered 20 total shots throughout the non-conference match-up, compared to VMI’s six.
“I felt like we had a handful of really good opportunities,” said Kennedy. “But our finishing wasn’t that great. It’s one of those days that you just have to grind it out and see what happens. One thing that was typical for us today, we had the jitters for the first game. Playing on the turf was difficult.”
In his first collegiate appearance, sophomore Joey Ralph (Martinez, Ga.) garnered both his first career win and shutout, making two saves on the day. Credited with the loss is VMI’s Brian Sowell who pulled in 12 saves.
Though the Eagles produced plenty of scoring opportunities, GSU struggled to get into a consistent rhythm.
“We showed flashes of things that we'd like to do,” said Kennedy. “But today we just couldn’t get into a rhythm. We need to play more consistently than we did today.”
The Eagles will have Saturday to prepare for a tough Sunday match-up versus Western Illinois. The Leathernecks are seeking to defend their 2006 Summit League title this year and were recently voted by the league’s preseason coaches’ poll to repeat the championship.
The Eagles are slated to play WIU, Sunday at noon.
Furman 6, St. Joseph’s 0
Conway, S.C. -- Eric Baffour and Brooks Duff each netted a pair of goals to lead the Furman men’s soccer team past Saint Joseph’s 6-0 in the season opener at the Coastal Carolina/adidas Invitational in Conway, S.C., Friday afternoon.
Furman wasted little time taking control against the Hawks. Eliot Paschalis converted from the penalty spot 3:02 into the match to give Furman the lead before setting up Eric Baffour with a cross into the middle of the box just 27 seconds later to up the advantage to 2-0.
Sophomore Michael Erwood capped the first half scoring at 36:20 when he got on the end of a Patrick Murray free kick and bested the Hawks keeper to increase the lead to 3-0.
Murray and freshman Dane Roberts combined to spring Baffour on a breakaway early in the second half as the sophomore slotted the shot past the keeper for his second tally of the night.
In the 53rd minute, Roberts found Duff on the left side of the box as the freshman bagged his first goal of his collegiate career. Duff scored his second goal of the night and upped the lead to 6-0 in the 61st minute sending a shot across the goal mouth into the left side netting.
The 6-0 score marked the most goals and largest margin of victory by a Paladin team since Furman downed Wofford 7-0 during the 2001 campaign.
Furman held a 20-6 edge in shots and Paladin goalkeepers Bryan Amos and Josh Zimmer were forced to make just one save while combining for the shutout.
Furman will conclude tournament play Sunday facing new Division I member Florida Gulf Coast in an 11:30 a.m. contest at CCU Soccer Field.
Fans can follow all the action from the CCU/adidas Invitational by clicking on the live stats link on the men’s soccer schedule page at www.furmanpaladins.com.
Wofford 1, Longwood 0
FARMVILLE, Va. -- The Wofford men's soccer team opened its 2007 campaign with a 1-0 win at Longwood Friday evening in Farmville, Va. It marks the second-straight 1-0 victory against the Lancers to open a season, as the Terriers were victorious in Spartanburg, S.C., August 25, 2006.
Sophomore Moe Kelli netted his first career goal for the game's only score. His shot attempt, one of a team-high three, hit the post before finding the back of the net behind Longwood's (0-1) Bryandt Youmans at 11:40.
Wofford's (1-0) starting lineup featured one freshman, Randy McLeod, while three others saw action during the match.
The Terriers also welcomed back keeper Joey Taylor, who played in the first four games last fall before being sidelined with a season-ending injury. The shutout was the fourth of his career, extending his school record for the Division I era (1995-present).
Wofford will next play Friday at 4 p.m. against Georgia State in Atlanta, Ga.
St. Mary’s 2, Davidson 0
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- A pair of late second-half strikes lifted visiting St. Mary’s to a 2-0 blanking of Davidson in the opening round of the adidas Classic at Alumni Stadium Friday evening in front of 831 fans. The Gaels begin the campaign 1-0, while the Wildcats open the 2007 slate 0-1.
Despite the contest being scoreless at the break, Davidson outshot the Gaels 6-3 in the opening period with its best chance coming in the 31st minute on a free kick. Following a St. Mary’s foul just outside the box, Charlie Reiter touched the attempt to Robby Hoak, who had his right-footed blast punched over the cross bar by a diving Brian Mason.
“I thought we were in good position to put the game away in the first half,” commented Davidson head coach Matt Spear, who is in his seventh season at the helm of his alma mater. “But small details at the Division I level make all the difference in the world.”
With 30:40 left in the contest, the Wildcats had another great scoring opportunity but were unable to capitalize. Davidson’s Alex Caskey started the counter with a tackle that was tracked down just shy of midfield by Reiter, who played a ball down the right flank to Machel Turner, but his one-on-one attempt with the Gaels’ keeper missed wide.
St. Mary’s finally broke the deadlock with a strike from Bryan VanDoorninck in the 68th minute of action. The Gaels’ forward gathered a loose ball, split a pair of Wildcat defenders, leaving him a wide open attempt on goal, which he placed in the top-right corner.
Just over 13 minutes later, St. Mary’s extended its margin with Erik Rivas’ spinning blast from just inside the box. The game’s final score was set up by Justin Kim, who located Rivas with a pass from the far side.
The Gaels finished with a slim 13-11 edge on shot attempts. Ben Ashton finished with five saves in net for the Wildcats, while Mason turned away a pair of Davidson attempts en route to his 14th career shutout.
“Even though we were down, I thought we showed good energy late and displayed a lot of fight,” said Spear.
Davidson returns to action Sunday, Sept. 2, when it hosts San Jose State at 12 p.m. The Gaels will conclude the annual event with a 2:15 p.m. contest against Charlotte at Alumni Stadium.
Live Videostreaming of the Wildcats’ contest with the Spartans Sunday and all season long will be available online via www.davidsonwildcats.com.
St. Mary’s 2, Davidson 0
1 2 F
St. Mary’s 0 2 2
Davidson 0 0 0
Scoring
SMC (68:03) Bryan Vandoorninck (unassisted)
SMC (81:09) Erik Rivas (Kim)
Shots: SMC 13, DAV 11
Corner Kicks: SMC 8, DAV 9
Saves: SMC 2 (Brian Mason), DAV 5 (Ben Ashton)
Fouls: SMC 16, DAV 10
Yellow Cards: SMC -- Nick Cashmere (18:50); DAV -- Cameron Griffin (62:57), Josh Zipin (76:41)
UNC Greensboro 3, Georgetown 0
HARRISONBURG, VA ? UNC Greensboro scored three times in a 12-minute span in the second half to open the 2007 season with a 3-0 shutout of Georgetown in the first match at the 2007 JMU/Blue Shadows Golf Club Men’s Soccer Tournament.
With the win, UNCG is now 17-6-1 all-time in season openers under head coach Michael Parker. The win was the 468th of Parker’s coaching career, his 356th in 24 years as coach of the Spartans.
Goalkeeper Nate Berry, who recorded seven shutouts as a freshman last season, notched his first blanking of the 2007 campaign. He stopped six shots to record the opening night win.
All three goals and assists came from a trio of players appearing in the first regular season game for UNCG. The Spartans, ranked No. 23 in the NSCAA’s Pre-season Top 25, got on the scoreboard for the first time this season when Tebatso Manyama, a transfer from NAIA member Auburn-Montgomery, scored from the left post at 56:01. Manyama tapped in a long cross from Tim Masters, who was playing his first match as a Spartan after transferring from UNC Wilmington.
Masters helped on UNCG’s second goal, which came just 3:13 later. Masters again hit a long cross from the right side, this time finding freshman Nirav Kadam on the doorstep for a 2-0 lead at 59:14.
Kadam scored again at 68:01 when he headed a Manyama pass into the goal. Manyama, a native of Johannesburg, South Africa, played a ball from deep in the left corner that Kadam flicked with his net past the keeper for his second tally and a three-goal advantage.
Georgetown outshot UNCG, 8-7. The teams each had two corner kicks on the night.
UNCG, 7-2-1 in its last 10 season openers, will face James Madison on Sunday at 2:30 pm in a rematch of a 2005 NCAA Tournament meeting. The Dukes lost to Marshall in the second match on Friday, 1-0.
AGATE
GEORGETOWN..0..0..-0
UNCG...................0..3..-3
SCORING: UNCG Manyama (Masters) 56:01; UNCG Kadam (Masters) 59:14; UNCG Kadam (Manyama) 68:01. SHOTS: UNCG 7, GU 8. SAVES: UNCG 6 (Berry 6), GU 3 (Devine 3). CORNER KICKS: UNCG 2, GU 2. FOULS: UNCG 7. GU 15.
College of Charleston 1, Mercer 0
Kareem Yearwood's goal lifted the College of Charleston to a 1-0 win over Mercer in opening round action of the 2007 Saturn of Charleston Soccer Classic at rain-soaked Patriots Point Field on Friday.
In the closely-contested first half, the Cougars led Mercer in shot 6-4. Yearwood lead the attack with a goal from 18 yards out to put CofC ahead 1-0. Yearwood was assisted by senior mid-fielder Miles Alden-Dunn and junior forward David Levine.
The Cougars defense kept the Bears scoreless in the second half during a steady rain. Zach Prince led the Cougars in shots-on-goal with three, while Matt Morris, Justin Fojo, Branko Gavric, Casey Gold, Drew Fuzy and Yearwood took one shot a piece.
The win brings the Cougars’ record to 1-0-0 on the season. Mercer (0-1-0) will see action in the first game Sun., Sept. 2, against Presbyterian at 1:00. CofC will compete in the final game oCofC opened their season by hosting the Mercer Bears in the Saturn of Charleston Soccer Classic, Aug. 31, at Patriots Point Field.
Western Illinois 2, Appalachian State 1
Boone, N.C. ? Appalachian State University men’s soccer dropped a tough 2-1 decision to Western Illinois in the first day of action at the Broyhill Inn Appalachian Classic. Sophomore Mark Weldon scored ASU’s lone goal in the season-opening loss.
Weldon’s tally came in the 40th minute when he won a ball at the top of the box and beat the keeper to drive a low shot into the net for his second career goal. Unfortunately for the Apps, that first-half lead would not hold up as WIU got the equalizer in the 60th minute on a penalty kick from Preston Bernardi after the Mountaineers were whistled for a handball foul in the box. Twenty-four minutes later, the Leathernecks got the gamewinner off the head of Luke Greenwell via a cross from Bernardi.
“We had a good effort today,” said ASU head coach Paul Stahlschmidt. “We played well enough to win, but at times we also played bad enough to lose. WIU is a very good team that really battles on the field and comes right at you. We hope to rebound for another solid performance on Sunday against VMI.”
Weldon led ASU with three of the team’s seven total shots, three of them on target. Cameron McCarthy and Juan Obregon each had shots on goal for the Apps as well. WIU, which has made four-consecutive NCAA appearances, had a balanced attack with four players notching two shots each and 10 total shots on the afternoon.
The game was played on the artificial surface at Kidd Brewer Stadium after severe storms over the last two days left conditions at the ASU Soccer Stadium less than desirable.
The Broyhill Inn Appalachian Classic will continue on Sunday afternoon with Georgia Southern and WIU playing at noon followed by the ASU and VMI contest at 2:30 p.m. All games on Sunday are slated to be played at the ASU Soccer Stadium. Any additional changes to the tournament schedule will be posted immediately on www.GoASU.com.
On Saturday, the four teams will join efforts to host a free youth soccer clinic at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Registration for the clinic begins at 9 a.m. with instruction from collegiate players and coaches beginning at 9:30 a.m.