UNCG 1, Elon 0
ELON, N.C. - After 81 minutes of scoreless soccer at Rudd Field, Cameron Owens netted his first goal of the season to give the UNCG Spartans a 1-0 victory over the host Elon Phoenix in Saturday night Southern Conference action. The win clinched the regular-season SoCon title for UNCG (8-7-1, 5-1-1) and also snapped a three-game losing streak to the Phoenix (6-10-1, 2-5-0).
"Congratulations to UNCG on clinching the regular-season title tonight," said Elon head coach Darren Powell. "They scored a great goal. I thought we played well throughout the match and had phases where we were very strong, but we were unable to capitalize on our opportunities. We look forward to a tough ACC opponent in Duke and preparing for the playoffs next week."
Elon controlled much of the possession, outshooting the Spartans 12-5 in the contest. The Phoenix had a couple of its best opportunities called back for offsides in the first half.
At 81:05, UNCG's Austin Miller controlled the ball on the left side of the field and pushed it forward to Owens. Owens took a perfect strike from about 18 yards out to the far post to give the Spartans the go-ahead goal.
Elon had one of its best opportunities just minutes earlier when senior James Carroll tapped a short pass left to Chris Thomas deep in the box. Thomas' shot went just wide of the net.
With 26 minutes to play in the contest, midfielder Gabe Latigue hit a low driving shot but it went right at visiting keeper Peyton Ford. Ford tallied four saves on the night.
Prior to the match, Elon honored eight seniors for their time in the maroon and gold. Jordan Neuhauser, Morgan Fleming, Tony Pusateri, Jahan Threeths, Nick Millington, Austen King, James Carroll and Drew Gardner each suited up for his final game at Rudd Field.
The Phoenix will close the regular season at Duke on Tuesday, November 1 at 7 p.m. Elon is 2-0 against ACC opponents this year with wins over Clemson and Wake Forest.
Davidson 3, Appalachian State 0
DAVIDSON, N.C. - A pair of seniors scored for Davidson and senior goalkeeper Chip Sanders earned his team-record ninth shutout of the season to lead the Wildcats past Appalachian State, 3-0 in Southern Conference men's soccer action Saturday night in Alumni Stadium.
The win puts Davidson (8-7-2, 3-2-1 SoCon) in position to host its first-round Southern Conference tournament game if it can earn a draw or win over College of Charleston Tuesday night. Appalachian State (8-4-4, 3-2-2 SoCon) holds the fourth-and-final home-field position with 11 points and no conference gamesremaining. The Wildcats have 10 points and the head-to-head tiebreaker overApp. State with one game remaining (a win earns three points in the standings, while a draw earns one point.)
Senior defender Dennis Shannon made his senior night extra special by scoring his first-career goal. Shannon notched the game-winner just before halftime in the 44th minute. Junior Peter Paras played the ball to freshman John Pace, who headed it to to Shannon approximately 15 yards from the goal, and Shannon was able to rip a shot from the left into the back of the net for the goal.
Sanders made a big save on a shot by Sean Dreybus in the 52nd minute to preserve the 1-0 lead. The ‘Cats then added to the advantage with goals in the 60th and 75th minutes. Sophomore Jake Keator setup Davidson's second goal attacking down the right flank and moving to the center of the field. He then played the ball forward into the center of the field for senior forward Thomas Zimmerman, who ripped it into the goal from 10 yards out.
Sophomore Nick Grube created a breakaway for classmate Chris Pettiglio in the 75th minute to ice the win. Pettiglio dribbled the keeper and rolled it across the line for the goal. Freshman Gabe Rivera nearly scored on a one-on-one with 11 minutes remaining after Paras fired a long ball from just outside the ‘Cats 18-yard box, but Rivera's shot went just high.
Sanders and Appalachian State goalkeeper Danny Free made two saves each. Appalachian State had a 12-9 advantage in shots, but Davidson's defenders blocked several of the Mountaineers' shots.
The Wildcats will conclude the regular season Tuesday night against College of Charleston in Alumni Stadium. The match is set to kick-off at 7 p.m. If Davidson can earn a draw or win, it will host their SoCon tournament first-round match Sunday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.