Elon 2, UNCG 1 (2OT)

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Matt Wescoe headed in the golden goal late in the second overtime to help the Elon men’s soccer team earn a 2-1 win at UNCG on Saturday night. Wescoe added his third game-winner of the year as Elon (12-4-1, 5-2 Southern Conference) overcame a 1-0 first half deficit in its SoCon regular-season finale at UNCG Soccer Stadium.

After Elon was awarded a corner in the 107th minute, Daniel Lovitz sent the ball into the box, where Wescoe would eventually knock in his fourth score of the season for the win. The win locked up a top-two seed for the Maroon and Gold in the SoCon Tournament and at least a share of the regular-season league title. The top four seeds will host a quarterfinals match in the tournament.

The Spartans (5-9-2, 3-4-0 SoCon) were the more aggressive team in the first half with a 9-4 shot advantage and a 6-4 lead on corners. UNCG had a goal taken away because of offside early in the first half but capitalized in the 41st minute on a score by Hakan Ilhan to go ahead 1-0.

Ilhan was pulled down just outside the 18-yard box, setting up an UNCG free kick. Ilhan stepped forward and ripped a shot off the Elon wall that went past Elon goalkeeper Nathan Dean for the 1-0 UNCG lead. The goal raised his team-leading total to seven on the season.

The Phoenix came alive in the second stanza with seven shots and five corner opportunities but could not find the back of the net until the 77th minute, as Chris Thomas scored on a cross from Gabe Latigue from 6 yards out. Thomas was able to avenge from not converting on a penalty kick in the 70th minute as the nation’s leading scorer added his 21st goal of the year.

UNCG earned a penalty kick in the 80th minute, but Dean, like UNCG keeper Peyton Ford just 10 minutes prior, made the save to keep it knotted at 1-1. Dean had five saves between the posts for the Phoenix.

Wescoe had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation after receiving a cross from the middle of the field in the box, but Ford was able knock the ball away as time expired and the match went into an extra session.

The first period of extra time went by quietly with only three combined shots, but in the second overtime, Elon controlled possession of the ball throughout, preventing the Spartans from firing a shot.

Ford finished with six saves.

It was the first meeting between Elon and UNCG since last year’s SoCon Tournament title match, in which the Phoenix came away with a 3-2 win.

Prior to the game, the Spartans recognized their senior class with Senior Day festivities honoring Ford, Ilhan, Adam Shore, Ross Burki and Jonathan Leonard.

Elon will host its final regular-season game on Tuesday versus Duke. That match is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. The Phoenix must await the outcome of the SoCon’s final game of the season between Wofford and the College of Charleston on Tuesday to determine the league champion and No. 1 seed.

UNCG is next in action on Nov. 3 or Nov. 4 in the first round of the SoCon tournament at an opponent yet to be determined.

 

Furman 4, Wofford 3 (2OT)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Junior Michael Gandier scored in double overtime to give Furman a 4-3 victory over Wofford on Saturday night at Snyder Field and clinch a home match for the Paladins in the quarterfinal round of next week’s Southern Conference Men’s Soccer Championship.

With the regular-season finale knotted at 3-3 in the second 10-minute overtime period, the Paladins fired a shot that Wofford goalkeeper Andrew Drennan spilled into the path of Gandier, and the midfielder buried the rebound into the back of the net at 107:59 for his fifth goal of the season.

The triumph, Furman’s second SoCon win of the week, helped the Paladins finish the regular season at 12-3-3 overall and 4-2-1 in the league. Wofford slipped to 9-8-0 overall and 2-4-0 in the SoCon. Furman will open SoCon Tournament play on Nov. 3 as either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed against a yet-to-be determined opponent. Kickoff for next Saturday’s match on Seagraves Field at Stone Stadium is set for 6 p.m.

Wofford got the match off to a quick start in the third minute. Drennan stopped a Furman shot and punted the ball into the path of Ryan Hurst, who played the ball around Paladin goalkeeper Sven Lissek and finished into an open net to put the Terriers in front, 1-0.

In the ninth minute, Danny Hojaij curled a corner kick into the box and Gandier headed past Drennan to equalize at the 8:33 mark with his first goal of the night. Furman made another set piece pay off just minutes later to take a 2-1 lead. Martin Ontiveros played a corner kick to the near post, and sophomore defender Walker Zimmerman hammered a driven header into the net for his sixth goal of 2012 at 16:38.

Wofford pulled level before intermission from the penalty spot. Forrest Lasso was taken down in the box on a Terrier corner kick and Alex Hutchins converted into the left-hand corner from the spot in the 44th minute.

In the second half, it took only six minutes for the game’s fifth goal to be scored. Coleton Henning found the back of the net off of another corner to give Furman a 3-2 lead at 50:23. Ontiveros, who notched his second assist of the night and third of the season, sent the kick into the box and found an unmarked Henning, who scored with a well-struck header.

The Terriers rebounded from a deficit again in the 74th minute when Nestor Jaramillo assisted on Lasso’s fourth goal of the year. Jaramillo sent a free kick into the box that Lasso was able to flick past Lissek and in at the far post. Wofford nearly won the game in the 88th minute, but Lissek was able to save Billy Padula’s shot from just over 10 yards out.

In the first overtime period, the Terriers dominated play as they outshot the Paladins 4-0 and took the period’s only corner. Connor Davis almost gave Wofford the comeback victory in the 99th minute but Lissek was able to make a diving stop to keep the score tied. In the second overtime period, Wofford controlled the majority of the play, but Lissek recorded two more saves to keep Furman in the game prior to Gandier’s match-winner.

Lissek notched nine saves to earn the victory in goal, while Drennan turned away eight shots in the loss for Wofford. The Paladins finished with a 23-16 shots edge with each team recording 12 shots on goal.

The Terriers return to the pitch on Tuesday in their regular-season finale at the College of Charleston.  The match is set to kick off at 7 p.m.

 

Appalachian State 2, Davidson 0

BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State’s men’s soccer team wrapped up its regular season Saturday as the Mountaineers knocked off Davidson 2-0 on Senior Night at the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex.

Appalachian State, winner of two straight, evened up its overall record at 7-7-3 on the year and 2-3-2 in Southern Conference play. The Wildcats fell to 6-10-1 on the year and 2-5 in league play.

The first half got off to an aggressive start, as nine fouls were called within the opening 20 minutes of play. The ninth foul proved to be the most costly for Davidson when sophomore forward Kristian Lee-Him was fouled inside the opposing box and was awarded a penalty kick in the 20th minute. Lee-Him’s penalty got Appalachian on the scoreboard when his shot hit the bottom left corner as Davidson goalkeeper Matt Pacifici went right.

For Lee-Him, his third goal of the year tied him for the team lead with senior David Dodge.

Appalachian State got its insurance goal in the 82nd minute when sophomore forward Stanley Broaden used his speed to get past Davidson’s back line, down the sideline. Broaden fed a pass back to the feet of sophomore midfielder Luke Adams, who fired a shot past Pacifici for his first goal in an Appalachian State uniform.

The Mountaineer defense continued its dominance against opponents, allowing Davidson to record five shots total and just one shot on goal.

On a night that the program honored its eight seniors, Kojo Thompson and Lee Williams led a back line that recorded its eighth shutout of the season. In goal, sophomore Paul West matched junior Danny Free’s total of four clean sheets on the year. West made just one save on the night, and the Mountaineers held Davidson scoreless for the second straight time after tallying a 2-0 shutout over the Wildcats in last season’s SoCon quarterfinals.

Appalachian State learns in tournament fate after the conference’s final match on Tuesday, between College of Charleston and Wofford. The Mountaineers currently sit in the sixth position, but could fall to the No. 7 seed with a Wofford victory.

Davidson will enjoy a week break before hitting the road Nov. 3 for the opening round of the 2012 Southern Conference Men’s Soccer Tournament. The Wildcats will find out their quarterfinal opponent and destination at a later date.

 

Georgia Southern 2, College of Charleston 1 (OT)

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – Georgia Southern’s men’s soccer team closed the 2012 regular season on a winning note with a 2-1 overtime victory over league-leading College of Charleston at Patriots Point on Saturday. Goals in the 81st and 95th minutes gave GSU all three points and hosting honors in the 2012 SoCon tournament next weekend.

The match went to overtime, but it was the Eagles who took advantage of their first opportunity. A corner kick was played short and high, allowing Drew Ruggles to run onto the ball and clip a secondary cross to the back post from the edge of the penalty area. Thomas Valikonis was on hand to head the game-winning goal into the net. It was Valikonis’ first goal of the season and came in his first appearance since Sept. 26th.

In the 71st minute, Charleston took a 1-0 lead with Luke Huggett’s fifth goal of the year, cleaning up a rebounded shot by Sam Redmond for the advantage.

The Eagles struck back 10 minutes later with a quick-strike equalizer. Hunter Norton won the ball just outside the center circle and took a few touches before feeding his brother, Reed Norton, in space at the edge of the 18-yard box. The freshman took a couple touches and ripped a left-footed shot from the corner of the 6-yard box into the top-left corner of the net, hitting the crossbar on the way in for an equalizer.

Georgia Southern’s performance was buoyed by the presence of the GSU men’s tennis team, which was in Charleston for a tournament this weekend. The added support helped lift the Eagles to finish the regular season at 5-11-1 and 3-3-1 in league play.

The victory locked the Eagles into the fourth seed in the 2012 SoCon Tournament, meaning Georgia Southern will host a postseason game for the second straight season at Eagle Field. The Eagles will face either Wofford or UNCG on Nov. 4, at a time to be announced.

The loss prevented CofC from locking up the Southern Conference regular-season championship and No. 1 seed in the tournament on Saturday night, but the Cougars still control their own destiny heading into Tuesday night’s season finale against Wofford. That match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Patriots Point.