Elon 1, #9 Duke 1 (2 OT)
ELON, N.C. - The Elon men's soccer team battled back from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw against the ninth-ranked Duke Blue Devils in front of a raucous crowd at Rudd Field on Tuesday night. The Phoenix (3-2-3) remained unbeaten in its last six contests. Duke moved to 4-1-3 on the season.
"This was a tough game against a very talented Duke team," said Elon head coach Darren Powell. "Our team showed character to bounce back after being goal down. We will build upon tying one of the best teams in the country as we prepare for league action."
Senior goalie Clint Irwin tied his career high with nine saves in the game. Irwin had posted nine stops on two other occasions during his career, most recently against North Carolina in 2009.
The contest was the first-ever result against Duke as the Blue Devils owned a perfect 8-0 all-time record against Elon prior to this evening's game.
After a scoreless first half of play in which Duke owned much of the possession, the Blue Devils managed to get on the board in the 56th minute. Chris Tweed-Kent touched a short pass from the left side of the field to Cole Grossman who slid a shot to the far bottom right corner of the net to give the visitors the lead.
Duke continued to hold possession but Irwin and the Elon back line held strong to keep it a one-goal game. In the 74th minute, Elon forward Denzel Ogunyase sent a long shot from the right side of the field into the box. The shot appeared to be going wide of the net before a Duke player redirected the ball into the goal for an own goal that tied the game.
With the game knotted at one, momentum shifted and Elon managed to put the ball on net several times before the end of regulation. Shortly after the score, Phoenix forward Chris Thomas took a shot from about seven yards out that was blocked away by a Blue Devil defender. With under 10 minutes to play, Ogunyase rocketed a shot from the right side but it went straight at Duke keeper James Belshaw.
Irwin came up big late in the contest and in the overtime sessions. With about five minutes remaining in regulation, Irwin made a great save on a free kick from the top of the box by Grossman.
Duke had the lone two shots of the overtime periods, both stopped by the Elon senior. With less than four to play in the first OT, Irwin tapped up a ball that banged off the crossbar to save a score. Minutes later, Irwin laid out to save a shot off the foot of Nick Sih and preserve the tie.
Duke held a 22-8 advantage in shots and took nine corner kicks compared to three by the Phoenix.
The Phoenix will return to Southern Conference play when it travels to UNC Greensboro on Saturday, Oct. 2. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
North Carolina State 2, Appalachian State 1
RALEIGH, N.C.- Appalachian State men's soccer (3-3-2) was not able to back on track, falling to North Carolina State (4-4) on the road, 2-1, in non-conference action on Tuesday night from Dail Soccer Field.
The Mountaineers gave up an early goal 10 minutes as Tyler Lassiter headed the ball into the goal off the throw in by Zane Tharakan, bringing the score to 1-0.
Juniors Lee Rutter (Nottingham, England/South Notthingham) and Mark Bridges (Morganton, N.C./East Burke), sophomore David Dodge (Oviedo, Fla./Oviedo) and senior Antonio Harley (Newport News, Va./Christchurch School) followed up with shots, but were unable to even the score. Both teams began to exchange fouls before Dodge was issued a yellow card 25:11 into play. Five more fouls were committed by Appalachian in the physical match before Harley was issued a yellow card of his own 34:44 into the match. Junior Chad Dalton (Tampa, Fla./Land O'Lakes) took one more shot at the goal with minutes left in the first period of play, but it was saved and the Wolfpack to a 1-0 lead into the locker rooms.
NCSU came out of the locker room and wasted no time taking a shot, but it was wide. The Mountaineers brought the ball back down the field and got their first goal of the night off the foot of junior Sean Dreybus (Newport News, Va./Warwick) to even the match at 1-1 at the 49:21 minute mark.
Minutes later NCSU's Michael Smith was fouled inside the Appalachian State penalty box, and the Pack was rewarded a penalty kick. Lassiter nailed the penalty shot for his second goal of the match as NC State took a 2-1 lead. The shot proved to be the game winner as the Mountaineers were not able to recover for the duration of the match.
ASU held the advantage in SOGs, 4-3 and in overall shots, 8-6, but the penalty kick proved to be the deciding factor in the physical match, which featured ASU fouling 17 times and the Pack fouling 14 times.
Drake Branson (Hendersonville, N.C./East Henderson), who made his first start of the season, took the loss.
The Apps were turn to action on Saturday, Oct. 2, in their Southern Conference opener against Georgia Southern. Action from the ASU Soccer Stadium is set to kick off at 1:00 p.m.
High Point 3, UNCG 1
HIGH POINT, N.C. - Sophomore Eli Garner tallied a goal for an early Spartan lead, but High Point scored three unanswered goals to turn away UNCG, 3-1, in nonconference men's soccer action Tuesday night.
Karo Okiomah and Feijro Okioman both had a goal and an assist to lead High Point to its first win over the Spartans since 1977. Although there had been two long breaks in the series, UNCG was unbeaten in the last 14 meetings before Tuesday night (13-0-1).
Garner scored on a shot from 15 yards out, a line drive that hit the hands of goalkeeper Michael Chesler. But Chesler couldn't hold onto it and it trickled over the goal line. It was Garner's team-leading third goal of the season and gave UNCG a 1-0 lead just 9:02 into the match.
High Point (5-2-1) tied the game at 26:14. Fejiro Okiomah got through the defense near the left post and hit a blast that goalkeeper Peyton Ford couldn't handle for a 1-1 tie. It was Okiomah's third goal of the year.
Shane Malcolm made it a 2-1 High Point lead at 35:39. Fejiro Okiomah's cross went to the far post, where Malcolm was running in to knock it home for his third goal of the season.
Karo Okioman closed out the scoring early in the second half. At 57:13, Scott Rojo's through ball got to Karo Okiomah, who knocked it in at the far post for his fifth goal of the year and a two-goal advantage.
Ford had seven saves for UNCG (4-4-1). Chesler had three saves for High Point.
The Spartans open Southern Conference play on Saturday night against Elon at UNCG Soccer Stadium. Game time is set for 7 p.m.