College of Charleston 5, Wofford 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Wofford men's soccer team fell to College of Charleston by a 5-1 score Saturday afternoon at Snyder Field in the Southern Conference opener for both squads. The Terriers fall to 2-5-1 overall, while the Cougars improve to a 5-2-1 record.
College of Charleston got on the board first, as Tony Kattreh scored in the 16th minute, taking a shot from the top of the box, sending the ball over the reach of Wofford goalkeeper Andrew Drennan. Eric Fornell was credited with the assist.
In the 23rd minute, the Cougars increased their lead to 2-0 when Connor Coons headed a shot into the back of the net following a free kick at midfield by Ralphie Lundy.
Just seconds later following the kickoff, Alex Hutchins drove the ball down the field for Wofford, sending a shot from the top left corner of the box screaming into the back of the goal past College of Charleston keeper Kees Heemskerk to set the score at 2-1. The goal was the second of the season for Hutchins, and his first since the season opening contest at USC Upstate.
The Cougars built on their lead in the second half, as George Khoury scored in the 47th minute, putting a shot in from the top right corner of the box following a pass by Francis Twohig.
In the 66th minute, Ralpie Lundie sent a shot from near midfield that bounced off the crossbar. Shawn Ferguson gathered the reflection and put the ball into the top of the net to put the score at 4-1.
The final goal of the afternoon was scored in the 80th minute of action, when Troy Peterson put the ball past Drennan in a one-on-one situation. Sean de Silva and Joey De Mare were credited with assists.
Heemskerk picked up the win for the Cougars, tallying four saves while facing a total of eight shots. Drennan was given the loss for Wofford, picking up two saves while facing a total of 18 shots.
The Terriers will next be in action on Saturday, October 1st, hosting George Washington. The match is set for a 7:00 p.m. start time at Snyder Field.
UNCG 4, Gardner-Webb 0
GREENSBORO, N.C.-Ross Burki scored twice and Hakan Ilhan added two assists as UNCG snapped its three-match losing streak with a 4-0 victory over Gardner-Webb before a Homecoming crowd of 3,250 on Saturday at UNCG Soccer Stadium.
The Spartans (3-4-0) dominated the match from start-to-finish, out-shooting the Bulldogs (3-4-2) by a 27-7 count. But despite holding a 14-1 shot advantage at halftime, UNCG owned a narrow lead at the break.
Freshman David Reittinger gave the Spartans a 1-0 edge in the 34th minute on his first collegiate goal. Reittinger took a pass from Kris Byrd and ripped a straight-on shot from 25 yards away into the back of the net as UNCG finally gained the lead.
UNCG scored three times in the second half, highlighted by Burki's two goals. Will Mack, however, gave the Spartans some breathing room early in the half when he scored in the 52nd minute.
A corner kick set up the score, which came off of a right-to-left pass in front of the goal from Hakan Ilhan. Mack pushed a simple header beyond the reach of Bulldogs' keeper Jaap Elekan, doubling UNCG's advantage.
Burki scored goals in the 64th and 78th minutes. His first goal came off a rebound from an Elekan save of an Ilhan shot attempt. Elekan actually stopped back-to-back point-blank shots by Ilhan, before Burki scrambled and punched in the second save for his first goal of the season.
Burki later scored off an assist from Cameron Owens, giving UNCG its largest margin of victory this season.
Junior goalkeeper Peyton Ford made four saves for the Spartans while Elekan also stopped four shots.
The Spartans return to action when they open Southern Conference play against No. 25 Furman, 7 p.m., Saturday, October 1 at UNCG Soccer Stadium.
Radford 5, Elon 1
RADFORD, Va. - The Radford Highlanders scored five second-half goals, including three in a three-minute span, to defeat the Elon men's soccer team 5-1 in non-conference action at Cupp Stadium on Saturday night. Elon (2-5-1) held a 1-0 advantage at the break on a goal by rookie Jason Waterman, but early second-half scores by the home team were too much for the Phoenix to overcome. Radford moves to 4-3-0 on the season.
After trailing 1-0 at the half, Radford struck immediately in the final period. A foul awarded the Highlanders a penalty kick in the 47th minute and Iylola Awosika tied the score at one.
Awosika wasted little time adding his fifth goal of the season, beating defenders down the right side of the field after the kickoff and tucking the score into the lower far post as Radford went on top, 2-1, just 17 seconds after the PK.
One minute later, Radford struck again as Carter Mills finished a cross in the box to give the Highlanders a commanding 3-1 advantage in the 48th minute.
Elon senior co-captain James Carroll tried to cut into the lead as his shot in the 62nd minute clanged off the crossbar.
Unfortunately it was Radford that struck again as Brian Gwanzura headed in a deep cross from Awosika in the 67th minute. The Highlanders' final score came with just seconds on the clock when Radford Awosika netted another PK to make the final margin 5-1.
Elon got on the board early behind the first career goal for Waterman in the 19th minute. Jahan Threeths collected a loose ball and touched a right-footed volley toward Waterman who managed to deflect the ball into the goal.
The Highlanders held a 19-10 advantage in the shot column while Elon took six corner kicks compared to four by Radford. Elon forced Radford keeper Ryan Taylor to make six saves on the night. Phoenix goalie Nathan Dean had two stops.
Elon will return home to being Southern Conference action next weekend when the Phoenix hosts Appalachian State on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at Rudd Field.