College of Charleston 4, Wofford 1
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - The College of Charleston men's soccer team rallied from behind to take down defending Southern Conference champion Wofford at Patriots Point on Tuesday night. The Cougars surrendered the first half lead but equalized just before half and tacked on three in the second to get the 4-1 win.
"There were times when we played great," said head coach Ralph Lundy. "Unfortunately, at the start of the game, we lost our focus. When we regained it and played the way we played, everything went great, so I'm happy with the results. Being down 1-0, we had to find a way to come back and we fought back to a great win. That's real important that you don't put your head down when you are behind."
The Cougars' win was their seventh consecutively and improves CofC to 7-2-1 (2-0 SoCon). Wofford drops to 1-5-2 (0-1 SoCon) with the loss.
The game was highly physical as 28 fouls were whistled and four yellow cards issued.
Wofford struck first when Armin Kinigadner set up a free kick from the right side from 40 yards out. Kinigadner sent in an in-swinging ball which found the head of a streaking Wilson Hood who capitalized to the near post.
The Cougars riddled the Terriers' keeper with several shots but struggled to capitalize until the closing moments of the first half. Wofford looked to take their 1-0 lead into the locker room until Jake Helmig (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) controlled the ball on the left wing and sent it into the box where Sean Flatley (Virginia Beach, Va.) headed in his second goal of the season to even the score in the 44th minute.
Flatley also netted what would become the game winner almost five minutes into the second half in a similar fashion, this time with Sean de Silva (Port of Spain, Trinidad) serving the entry pass from a corner kick.
Wofford's attempt to equalize was resilient and freshman keeper Kees Heemskerk (Zaandam, Holland) made five big saves to preserve the score.
The Cougars insured their lead when Ralphie Lundy (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) threaded a brilliant ball through the top of the box to Kareem Yearwood (Sou Sou Lands, Tobago) who made a single touch before beating the keeper inside the left post.
Lundy set up a similar play in the 87th minute and put Andy Craven (St. Simon's Island, Ga.) in a threatening position but Craven was dragged down from behind in desperation by the Terriers' last line of defense. Lundy was rewarded for his efforts when he bent the ensuing 19-yard free kick around the Wofford wall of defenders and perfectly into the upper-right corner of the net to put CofC up 4-1.
"We started playing better in the second half," said head coach Lundy. "We started passing and getting the ball to the open player. I was very happy with the way we attacked, unlike the early part of the game when we just kicked the ball and we didn't play our style of soccer. It was a good, tough game."
The Cougars look to stretch their unbeaten streak to nine with a road contest at Elon on Saturday, Oct. 9. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. The two squads will compete for the top spot in the SoCon as both bring 2-0 conference records into the match.
Wofford continues play with a nationally-televised match when it hosts Davidson Friday night at 8 p.m. with the match set for broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel.
Furman 0, Campbell 0 (2 OT)
Greenville, S.C. -- The Furman men's soccer team, playing a man down for more than an hour, battled to a 0-0 draw with Campbell University in non-conference action on Tuesday evening at Stone Soccer Stadium.
The tie moved Furman to 5-4-2 on the season while Campbell moved to 3-3-4. The match marked Furman's seventh overtime contest of the year and continued the Paladins streak of every match this season being decided by a single goal or ending in a draw.
The Camels threatened to break the game open in the first half on a pair of chances created by Khalil Johnson, but Furman goalkeeper Alec Kann smothered the forward's early one-versus-one chance and cut down the angle causing Johnson to miss wide on a dangerous run through the right side of the box just minutes later.
Furman produced just one first half chance as Michael Channell's effort to redirect a cross inside the six-yard box was stopped by Campbell goalkeeper Ryan Amons at point-blank range.
Junior Fabien Vorbe was sent off after receiving a red card for a tackle in the 41st minute, but the Paladins were able to gain their share of possession in the second half and keep the Camels from mounting a serious threat on goal.
Late in the second half, a Furman cross into the box nearly led to a match-winner as a Campbell defender headed a clearance off of the right post and out for a corner kick. Campbell managed to put pressure on the Paladins in the second overtime period, but Nicky MacKain headed a goal-bound shot from Keegan Terry off of the line and a late red card shown to the Camels' Mitchell Cardenas put the teams on a level playing field as the match ended 0-0.
Campbell held an 18-13 edge in shot attempts, including a 4-2 advantage in shots on goal. Each side earned eight corner kicks.
Amons totaled a pair of saves for the Camels while Kann stopped two shots and substitute keeper Maros Valko was credited with one save in 50 minutes of work.
Furman return to action next Tuesday, October 12, when it hosts Davidson in a Southern Conference clash. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
North Carolina State 3, Georgia Southern 2
RALEIGH, N.C. - The Georgia Southern Men's Soccer team took a 2-0 lead at N.C. State Tuesday night, but the Wolfpack battled back with three goals for a 3-2 win at Dail Soccer Stadium.
Freshman defender Drew Ruggles (Manassas, Va.) scored the Eagles' first goal after the Wolfpack defended Ethan LaPan's (Martinez, Ga.) corner kick, but Ruggles converted the loose ball to the top left corner. Ruggles' first career goal gave Georgia Southern a 1-0 lead at the 24-minute mark.
N.C. State would take three shots in the remainder of the first half, with two going wide and one blocked by Eagle defenders. Georgia Southern took the 1-0 lead into halftime.
Shortly after the start of the second half, LaPan re-entered the match. In the 47th minute, he took the assist from Hunter Norton (Evans, Ga.) and beat the N.C. State goalkeeper with his shot hitting the far post before going into the net. LaPan's third goal of the 2010 season gave the Eagles a 2-0 advantage.
In the second half, Georgia Southern held N.C. State without a goal for 20 minutes and limited the Wolfpack to one shot. The Eagles fended off a corner kick in the 66th minute, but within the next minute, N.C. State's David Brown scored a goal to bring the score to 2-1, Georgia Southern. The Wolfpack, with a contingent of players around the box took multiple looks and had three shots over the next 13 minutes. Craig Suntherland had a shot that went wide before he came back in the 80th minute with another N.C. State goal to tie the match 2-2.
"When we went up 2-0 with 20 minutes left, we need to take control and not let a win get away - that's a mental toughness we have to continue to develop," said Eagle Head Soccer Kevin Kennedy. "We felt like the guys played with a lot of energy, a lot of emotion and technically, we were prepared and very good. We gave up two goals that were set pieces and we are going to have to battle a little more in the box."
In the 83rd minute, Sutherland and Tyler Lassiter fed Chris Zuemer for what would be a game-winning goal. Georgia Southern's final shot was blocked and the Wolfpack captured the win.
Eagles' goalkeeper Neal Bates (Watkinsville, Ga.), making his third start, had two saves in the loss. Carlos Villa picked up with win for the Wolfpack (1-0).
Georgia Southern's record stands at 3-5-1 while N.C. State evened its record to 5-5. The Eagles return home to face SoCon opponent UNC Greensboro Sunday, October 10th, in a 2 p.m. match at Eagle Field.
#8 Duke 4, Davidson 1
DURHAM, N.C. - Ryan Finley scored two goals and an assist to lead No. 10 Duke over Davidson, 4-1, in non-conference men's soccer action Tuesday night in Koskinen Stadium.
Senior midfielder Alex Caskey (Dunwoody, Ga.) ended the Blue Devils' shutout bid with a goal from 15 yards out with 37 seconds remaining. Classmate Greg Macnamara (Arlington, Va.) played a long ball to Caskey, who was able to get around the Duke (5-2-3, 1-2-1 ACC) defense and float a shot over the goalkeeper.
Finley scored his ninth goal of the season in the 23rd minute, putting in the rebound off of Chris Tweed-Kent's blocked shot. Davidson (4-4-3) put the pressure on offensively late in the first half, but Finley broke free and was able to score again in the 41st minute.
Cole Grossman extended the Blue Devil advantage to 3-0 in the second half, heading in a Finley corner kick in the 51st minute. Grossman then knocked in a rebound off a shot by Tweed-Kent in the 68th minute to put Duke up 4-0.
The Wildcats best chances came late in the first half. Senior Peter Shelton (Raleigh, N.C.) placed a shot from 25 yards out on goal after Finley's first goal, but Duke goalkeeper James Belshaw smothered it. Senior Yannick Pilgrim (Arima, Trinidad & Tobago), returning from injury after missing seven games, nearly scored after receiving a long ball, but a Duke defender and Belshaw were able to fend off the opportunity. A shot by sophomore Brian McGue (Dublin, Ohio) from 30 yards out nearly found its way through when Belshaw mishandled it, but Belshaw was able to gather it up in time.
Duke led Davidson in shot attempts, but shots on goal were nearly even as Duke held only a 7-6 advantage. Belshaw made five saves in just over 80 minutes of action. Junior goalkeeper Chip Sanders made three saves for the 'Cats.
Davidson will return to Southern Conference action Friday night playing at Wofford in a match that will be televised live on Fox Soccer Channel at 8 p.m.
Wake Forest 1, Appalachian State 0
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.- Appalachian State University men's soccer (4-4-2, 1-0 SoCon) gave up a goal five minutes, 44 seconds into its match against Wake Forest (5-4-1, 3-0 ACC), and was unable to recover the rest of the way, dropping the Tuesday match, 1-0, at Spry Stadium.
After allowing the goal, Wake Forest committed four fouls and garnered an offsides penalty, which set up the corner kick for senior Steven Sassano (Gastonia, N.C./Forestview). After trading fouls, junior Ryan Duffy (Apex, N.C./Apex) took ASU's first shot of the match at the 25:36 minute mark, but the shot attempt was blocked.
Junior Chad Dalton (Tampa, Fla./Land O'Lakes) followed up Duffy's shot, but his rattled off the crossbar at 33:42. Junior Sean Dreybus (Newport News, Va./Warwick) tried to rebound Dalton's shot with a header, but it was saved by WF's Akira Fitzgerald.
After Fitzgerald cleared out the net, the Deacs raced down the field and attempted only their second shot of the first period, but it was tallied into junior Collin Taylor's (Morganton, N.C./Freedom) first save of the contest. Following a missed shot attempt by Wake Forest at 39:26, the Mountaineers dashed down the field to their end and set up a header by Dreybus, only to have the ball glide wide. Senior Antonio Harley (Newport News, Va./Christchurch) came behind Dreybus, only to have his shot attempt go wide, as well. Sophomore Ethan Durland (Raleigh, N.C./Leesville Road) tried to tie up the match on his shot at 43:05, but it was saved by Fitzgerald.
WF took their 1-0 advantage into the locker rooms at the half.
Appalachian continued to strive to knot the game up at the top of the second half. Junior Lee Rutter (Nottingham, England/South Nottingham) tried for his only shot of the match at 51:05, but it was wide. The Deacs came behind ASU and took two back-to-back shots, but both were added to Taylor's save list. Taylor finished the match with three saves.
Wake Forest committed two more fouls before Sassano took another shot at the goal, only to have it saved by Fitzgerald.
With time running out for the Apps, sophomore Lee Williams (Liverpool, England/Hillside) got a promising look at the goal at 83:59, however, it was unsuccessful.
Taylor (2-2-2) took the loss, while Fitzgerald (5-4-1) notched his fifth win of the season.
While the Deacs committed 17 fouls during the match, the Mountaineers committed a season-low four fouls.
ASU finished the match with nine shots with four being shot on goal.
Appalachian returns to action on Tuesday, Oct. 12, taking on Wofford in Southern Conference action at 6 p.m. in Spartanburg, S.C.