UNCG 1, Campbell 1 (2 OT)
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Campbell's Justin Smith scored with six seconds left in regulation and a thunderstorm delayed overtime session didn't break the tie as UNCG and Campbell played to a 1-1 tie in men's soccer action Wednesday night at UNCG Soccer Stadium.
Play was suspended with 2:59 to play in the first overtime by nearby lightning. Two storm cells moved close enough to the field to halt play, although the rain was limited to areas north of downtown Greensboro. Thus, teams waited around for 1:45 without a drop of rain.
UNCG (4-2-1) scored with 8:37 left in regulation to break a scoreless tie. The Spartans gained control of the ball near midfield following a goal kick. A long pass from Hakan Ilhan found Ross Burki streaking towards the box. Burki was able to chip the ball over the charging keeper for his first goal of the season and a 1-0 Spartan advantage.
Campbell (1-2-3) tied the game in dramatic fashion, however. A corner kick from Mitchell Cardenas found the head of Justin Smith in a crowd. Smith's header went just inside the upper right corner to tie the match, 1-1.
"We're disappointed," said UNCG interim coach Justin Maullin. "But that's anytime you let a team comeback like that in the final six seconds. All we had to do was defend that corner but it didn't work out. There were several instances in the game where we could have shaved time here or there. Just unfortunate to give one up with six seconds to go."
The Spartans, unbeaten in their last four matches, held a 16-13 advantage in shots and 9-5 in corner kicks.
UNCG, which is now unbeaten in its last seven at home, is home for the final match of the four-game homestand on Saturday night when it hosts Wake Forest for Homecoming. Start time is set for 7 p.m.
Clemson 1, Furman 0
Greenville, S.C. - Nick Burton lined a shot past Furman goalkeeper Alec Kann in the 94th minute to lift Clemson to a 1-0 overtime victory over Furman in non-conference men's soccer action before a crowd of 2,726 on Wednesday night at Stone Soccer Stadium.
With the victory, Clemson's first of the season, the Tigers improved to 1-3-1 and ended Furman's two-match series win streak. Furman slipped to 4-3-0 on the season and dropped a home match for the first time during the 2010 campaign.
Less than four minutes into the first overtime period, Clemson played a cross into the Furman box that K.C. Onyeador headed towards goal. Kann made a diving save and the Paladins cleared the ball, but Burton collected, dribbled into the left side of the box and directed a shot inside the far post at 93:34 for the only tally of the night.
Furman held an 11-8 advantage in shot attempts, but forced Tigers keeper Cody Mizell into just two saves. The Paladins best chance to find a game-winner came just 16 minutes into the match when Mark Gabriel touched a pass into the path of a charging Fabien Vorbe, but the Haitian's one-timer clattered off of the cross bar. Furman outshot the Tigers 6-4 over the final 45 minutes of regulation, but did little to trouble Mizell.
Kann picked up two saves in the loss for the Paladins who begin a three-match road trip on Saturday night when they travel to Spartanburg, S.C., to face USC Upstate at 7 p.m. before opening Southern Conference play at Georgia Southern on September 29.