UNCG 3, No. 12 Duke 2
GREENSBORO, N.C.-Hakan Ilhan scored a pair of goals and UNCG used a bend-don't-break defense over the final 23 minutes as the Spartans opened the 2011 season with a 3-2 victory over No.12 Duke before 2,064 fans, Friday UNCG Soccer Stadium.
The win is just the fourth for the Spartans over the Blue Devils in 17 meetings.
UNCG (1-0-0) opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Brian Graham sent a long cross from the right side to Oddur Gudmundsson, who gathered the ball and bounced a shot into the lower left corner to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead.
A penalty kick by Hakan Ilhan in the 16th minute made it 2-0, and Ilhan missed a chance to give UNCG a three-goal lead when his shot from 10 yards out hit the bottom of the left post in the 35th minute. The Spartans settled for a two-goal lead at halftime.
Duke was more aggressive to open the second half, but the Spartans withstood the attack.
Ilhan appeared to give UNCG an insurmountable lead in the 56th minute when he took a long throw-in from David Reittinger and scored on a breakaway for a 3-0 Spartans advantage.
But Duke's Andrew Wegner single-handedly brought the Blue Devils back into the match. He cut UNCG's lead to 3-1 with a goal in the 65th minute. Less than three minutes later he scored on a penalty kick to pull Duke within 3-2.
The UNCG defense held firm the rest of the way, helping to seal an impressive season-opening victory.
Overall, Duke out-shot UNCG 13-8 for the match. Spartans goalkeeper Peyton Ford made four saves, while Duke keeper James Belshaw recorded one save.
The Spartans return to action when they host East Tennessee State, 7 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 31st.
Furman 0, Campbell 0 (2 OT)
Buies Creek, N.C. -- Campbell managed to save 10 Furman shots, including a Martin Ontiveros penalty kick in the 86th minute, as the Paladins and Camels played to a scoreless draw in the season opener for both teams on Friday afternoon at the Eakes Athletic Complex.
Camels substitute goalkeeper Ethan Hall made four of his five saves in the final 32 minutes - none bigger than stopping Martin Ontiveros' penalty at the 85:36 mark. Ontiveros struck the ball toward the top left corner, but Hall dove to his right and deflected it wide.
A sophomore from Raleigh, Hall kept the game alive just 1:35 into the first sudden-death overtime period when he stretched to his right to stop Coleton Henning's shot from outside the box.
Campbell starting keeper Ryan Amons suffered an injury in the 58th minute during a sequence when the Paladins nearly took the lead. Amons charged off his line to clear the ball near the edge of the box, but went down after he and Ontiveros collided.
The ball fell to Henning, who hit a shot on target, but Camel junior defender Ben Iiames cleared the attempt wide for a corner kick.
The two teams, who met in the first round of the 2007 NCAA College Cup, also played to a scoreless draw last year in Greenville, S.C.
Furman entered the match ranked 30th in the nation by CollegeSoccerNews.com, but nearly fell behind in the fourth minute. Eduardo Rodriguez whipped a cross into the Furman area that Mitchell Cardenas volleyed on-goal from inside 10 yards. However, Paladin keeper Alec Kann parried the ball over his crossbar for a corner kick.
The visitors' best chance in the opening half came in the 15th minute when Ontiveros' shot from outside took a deflection, but Amons recovered and tipped the ball beyond his left post.
Furman held a 19-13 edge in shots on the day and 10-1 advantage in shots on goal.
Amons finished with four saves in 58 minutes of action, while Kann had one on the day.
Furman returns home to host nationally-ranked Duke on Monday at Stone Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Wofford 2, Queens 0 (Exhibition)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Wofford men's soccer team took a 2-0 win over Queens University of Charlotte to wrap up exhibition play for the 2011 season Friday night at Snyder Field.
Wofford controlled the pace of the match from the beginning, outshooting the Royals 18-6, while also out taking more corner kicks by a 8-1 margin.
Dennis Moore earned the first goal of the evening for the Terriers, as the sophomore from Monrovia, Liberia put a shot from the 18-yard line past the Queens starting goalkeeper John Rush in the 31st minute of play.
Senior Wiley Sinkus scored the second goal of the evening in the 86th minute of play, putting the ball past Queens keeper Mathew Crane. Senior Bryan Eddy was credited with the assist.
"I thought the effort we gave tonight was good. It was a great final preseason game as we look to get the season started Monday at USC Upstate. " stated Wofford head coach Ralph Polson. "I was pleased with the way we played in the first half, limiting Queens to only one shot on goal. We made some subs, getting everyone experience, and the guys who came off the bench contributed with a solid performance tonight. We still have some things to work on, but I'm excited about where we are and the direction we are headed, and look forward to a great season."
Wofford will open the 2011 regular season Monday night as they travel to nearby USC Upstate. Start time for the match is set for 7:00 pm.