Charlotte 1, Elon 0
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - An early second-half goal by T.J. Beaulieu gave the Charlotte 49ers the 1-0 victory against the visiting Elon Phoenix men's soccer team in a physical battle from Transamerica Field on Saturday evening. Charlotte improved to 1-1 on the season while Elon dropped to 0-2.
After a scoreless first half, the home team came out firing. In the 52nd minute, Tyler Gibson sent a long cross in the box from the right side of the field. Beaulieu picked it up and slid the shot past Elon goalie Clint Irwin who had come out of the net. The score proved the game-winner as the Phoenix were unable to get the equalizer.
"Again, this was another highly competitive college soccer match," Elon head coach Darren Powell stated. "We worked hard, but weren't able to capitalize on our few chances against a very well-organized, disciplined Charlotte team. Our focus needs to be on continuing to get better in preparation for our first home games next week."
The first half was evenly played with both teams getting some quality looks at the goal. Elon came out with momentum early and nearly found the back of the net in the opening five minutes of action. With the ball at his feet in the middle of the box, sophomore Gabe Latigue sent a quick blast that was blocked away by Charlotte keeper Klay Davis. Latigue had another opportunity off the rebound but a 49er defender managed to save the ball from crossing the goal line.
Shortly after, rookie midfielder Daniel Lovitz had a good chance from the left side, sliding a shot on goal but directly at Davis who made the stop.
In the late minutes of the half, Charlotte forced Irwin to perform to keep the game scoreless. Beaulieu had back-to-back opportunities with about 15 minutes to go before the break, his first shot being blocked away and the follow sailing wide right. Shortly after, Irwin made a fantastic diving save off a short Niner shot by Evan James.
Elon had a late first-half chance off a free kick by Latigue who sent a beautiful ball deep in the box, but Davis went up and pulled the ball out of the air to clear away any Elon opportunity.
After the early goal in the final period, Irwin made some impressive stops to keep it a one-goal game. The senior posted five saves in the contest.
Charlotte held a 13-9 advantage in shots and a 6-3 edge in corner kicks. The game featured 33 total fouls and five yellow cards.
Elon will be back in action when it hosts Richmond on Friday, September 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the second game of the Elon Classic.
UMBC 2, Wofford 0
BALTIMORE, M.D. - The Wofford men's soccer team wrapped up their competitions in Maryland Saturday evening after facing off against the Retrievers of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County and taking a 2-0 loss. The match set the Terriers back to 0-2 on the season. UMBC took their second win of the year and improved to 2-0.
The Terriers started the match with a slightly different strategy and personnel, as freshman Dennis Moore took his first start at the forward position. Kenny Owens dropped back from his normal wing position to midfield, joining Paulo Bonfim, Andrew Eppelsheimer and Armin Kinigadner.
Captain Randy McCleod got things going for the men's soccer program in the 18th minute, with a shot toward the Retriever's net, but UMBC's goalkeeper Phil Saunders was there for the stop. McLeod had two shots in the first half.
Two minutes later Owens was able to get a shot on goal from his new position, but Saunders was able to get hands on the shot again. Bryan Eddy knocked off a shot toward the net in the 22nd minute, but the ball streamed wide of the goal.
The Retrievers were the able to get on the board with only a minute left in the half. Levi Hauapeu achieved his second goal of the season from an assist by Andrew Bulls. The Terriers went into the half trailing by a goal.
The second half was highlight day for Andrew Drennan as he accounted for seven saves in the second half, giving him a total of nine saves in the match. Wofford nearly tied the game with exactly 13 minutes remaining, but Wilson Hood's effort from 13 yards out in the center of the box went wide right.
45 seconds later, UMBC put their second and final goal in of the match. Nirav Kadam was able to put the ball in from an assist by Bulls and Chris Williams. The Retrievers had one more opportunity to put a goal in with a penalty kick in the 85th minute, but Drennan denied Bulls the goal with an outstanding save.
The Terriers will be traveling to Conway, S.C. for the Coastal Carolina/adidas Tournament this coming weekend, September 10-12. They will be facing off against Virginia Commonwealth University, Friday, Sept. 10 at 5:00 pm and play Coastal Carolina Sunday, Sept. 12 at 3:00 p.m.
Creighton 4, UNCG 0
OMAHA, Neb. Creighton exploded for three first half goals on its way to a 4-0 win over UNCG in men's soccer action Saturday night.
The Bluejays remained unbeaten in their last 15 home openers (11-0-4) on their way to 2-0 on the year. UNCG fell to 1-1 on the young season.
"It is a valuable lesson, said interim head coach Justin Maullin. We didn't let the game settle on the road. I felt like we didn't compete early. The second half we competed better, but we needed to be ready tonight from the outset of the match."
Creighton scored twice in the first 15:11 of the match. Ethan Finlay opened the scoring, converting a penalty kick just 8:30 into the match. Josh Moran made it 2-0 on a header at 15:11 after a Kyle Deremer feed.
Finlay tallied his second goal of the night with 12:39 left in the first half after a heel pass from Jose Gomez
UNCG returns to action next Friday when it visits the Elon Tournament to face Jacksonville at 5 p.m.
Presbyterian 2, Furman 1 (OT)
Clinton, S.C. - Logan Huff scored a pair of goals, including the match-winner just 2:31 into the first overtime period, to lift Presbyterian to a 2-1 victory over Furman in men's soccer action on Saturday evening at Martin Stadium.
With the extra time victory, the Blue Hose improved to 1-0 on the season while Furman dropped to 1-1. The win marked PC's first triumph over the Paladins since 1983.
Lewis Makin served a corner kick to the far right post and Huff rose above the Paladin defense to head the ball back across the face of goal and into the left corner to seal the Blue Hose season-opening win.
Huff gave PC a first half lead scoring from the penalty spot at 29:28 after Furman was whistled for a foul in the box. The Paladins equalized less than seven minutes into the second half as Fabien Vorbe fed a pass to Michael Gandier at the top of the box and the freshman beat PC keeper William Redmond with a dipping shot to the right corner from 20 yards out.
Furman held an 18-12 advantage in shot attempts and an 8-4 advantage in corner kicks. Redmond tallied seven saves to earn the victory while Furman goalkeeper Alec Kann stopped three shots in the loss.
The Paladins return home to host the Diadora/Spinx Furman Invitational next Friday and Sunday at Stone Stadium. Furman hosts Detroit on Friday at 7 p.m. before facing Stetson in Sunday's 2:30 p.m. tournament finale.