Appalachian State 1, #21 Davidson 0
DAVIDSON, N.C. - The No. 21 Davidson men's soccer team was unable to find the back of the net on any of their late-scoring opportunities, and suffered their first shutout loss of the season to Appalachian State, 1-0 on a cold and rainy Wednesday night at Alumni Stadium.
Appalachian State improved to 4-7-1, 1-3 in the Southern Conference. The Wildcats have now dropped their last two conference games and now stand at 9-3, 2-2 SoCon.
Nate Latigue headed a free kick from the left of the six-yard box to J.J. Elder, who was in the box and chipped it in on the left-post side for the match-deciding goal at 54:53.
Play was even through the first half in terms of shots, as Davidson held a 4-3 lead, but Appalachian State responded with eight in the second half to Davidson's five.
The 'Cats best scoring opportunity came in the 74th minute on a shot from senior F Charlie Reiter. Charging down the middle of the field, Reiter sent a lead ball to junior F Yannick Pilgrim running up the right flank. Pilgrim sent a cross to senior Machel Turner on the left side of the six-yard box, who touched it back to Reiter in the center of the field. Reiter's shot went straight at goalkeeper Collin Taylor though, and Taylor made the save to preserve the slim lead.
Reiter and Pilgrim both had opportunities in the final 11 minutes, but were unable to get their respective shots on goal.
Davidson only forced Collins to make two saves, while an ASU defender also stopped a shot on goal. Sophomore Chip Sanders made five saves for the Wildcats. Appalachian State had two corner kick attempts, all in the first half, while Davidson had three, all in the second half. One of the 'Cats' attempts came with under four minutes remaining.
Elon 1, West Virginia 1
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The Elon Phoenix and the host West Virginia Mountaineers played to a 1-1 draw in double overtime in non-conference men's soccer action under cold, drizzly conditions at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on Wednesday night. The meeting was the first ever between the two programs as Elon moved to 6-4-2 on the season and West Virginia remained unbeaten in its last seven games at 5-2-5 overall.
West Virginia came out strong in the early part of the game, earning back-to-back corner kicks and forcing the Elon defense to fend off the attack. The Phoenix regained composure and the remainder of the half went back and forth. Each team tallied nine first half shots, but the game was scoreless at the break.
In the early moments of the second period, the Mountaineers found the net. From the near side of the field, Abel Sebele sent a cross into the 18-yard box. With the ball in the air, Ruben Garrido nearly completed a full bicycle kick from the far side of the field and laced the ball into the near post for the score at the 46:29 mark.
Elon pressed on and controlled much of the possession during the remainder of regulation. The Phoenix forced WVU keeper Zach Johnson to make eight saves in the contest while clearing out several dangerous crosses.
With just over a minute to play in the contest and the Mountaineers still clinging to a 1-0 lead, Elon's Erfan Imeni took a free kick from just outside the corner of the 18-yard box. Imeni's shot was deflected and the ball rolled among the players in the goal box before a WVU defender knocked it over the line for a score that tied the game and sent it into extra minutes.
The teams traded blows in the sudden death overtime periods, with Elon earning late chances in the waning minutes. Freshman Gabe Latigue rocketed an attempt in the final minute, but Johnson was there to make the stop. Imeni and senior Justin Wyatt each had another chance before the horn sounded, but the shots went wide.
Imeni and Wyatt recorded six shots apiece as Elon held a 19-17 advantage in the shot column. West Virginia took eight corner kicks compared to six by the Phoenix.
Elon remains on the road to battle league opponent Wofford on Sunday, October 18 at 6 p.m.
Wofford-High Point, PPD
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Wofford men's soccer match against High Point tonight at High Point, North Carolina was postponed due to inclement weather conditions in the High Point area. No make-up date has been determined.
The Terriers will be back in action this Sunday October 18 at 6 pm against Elon at Snyder Field in Spartanburg, SC. It will be their third Southern Conference match of the 2009 season.