Elon 2, No. 6 Charlotte 0

ELON, N.C. – A pair of Chris Thomas first-half goals followed by great overall team defense in the second stanza helped the Elon men’s soccer team defeat sixth-ranked Charlotte, 2-0, Saturday evening at Rudd Field.

The win gives the Phoenix (5-2) its fifth win in its last six matches while giving the program its highest win versus a ranked opponent since it topped 16th-ranked Furman last year in the Southern Conference Tournament.

Charlotte moved to 5-1-1 with the loss, its first since dropping a 1-0 decision to top-ranked North Carolina in last year’s NCAA national championship match.

Thomas netted his ninth goal of the season in the 13th minute after blasting a shot into the back left corner of the goal from inside the box, courtesy of a Matt Wescoe helper.

Thomas then added his second score of the contest after a Wescoe cross from 18 yards out, giving him 10 goals on the young season. The senior forward also became the second player in the program’s history with 40 scores in a career, as he sits in second place on the Elon all-time list behind Mike Wessels’ (1985-89) mark of 43 goals.

The two-goal advantage was all the Maroon and Gold would need to stave off the 49ers, despite the 17-8 shot difference. Charlotte had multiple chances to score at the beginnings of both halves but was frequently denied by Elon’s defensive efforts.

In the 72nd minute, the 49ers got their best opportunity to get on the scoreboard, but keeper Nathan Dean was able to corral the ball after a Donnie Smith shot.

Charlotte had 10 shots overall in the second half but still went scoreless for the first time this season. Dean played all 90 minutes between the posts for Elon as he had his first shutout of the season.

Elon hosts Radford on Tuesday at 7 p.m. before opening Southern Conference play at Davidson on Friday.

 

No. 17 Coastal Carolina 2, UNCG 1

CONWAY, S.C. – Playing its third ranked team in the last four games, the UNCG men’s soccer team dropped a hard-fought 2-1 decision to No. 17 Coastal Carolina on Saturday night at the Coastal Carolina Soccer Field.

The contest was the Spartans’ final tune-up before Southern Conference action begins Tuesday night at Davidson.

Coastal Carolina (6-1-2) scored the game’s first goal just before halftime, finding the back of the net in the 40th minute of action. Pedro Ribeiro ripped a shot from just inside the 18-yard box that fifth-year senior goalkeeper Peyton Ford made a diving save on, but the rebound came back out in front of the goal, where Tevin Skyers was able to head it in from five yards out for the early 1-0 lead.

Ribeiro and Skyers hook up again in the 65th minute of action to give the Chanticleers a 2-0 lead. Ribeiro sent a pass into the box to Skyers, who ripped a shot to the far post from seven yards out past Ford for his second goal of the game and the season.

UNCG (2-4-2) showed its fight as it responded back just 1:37 later as the Spartans trimmed the lead to 2-1. Senior Jonathan Leonard found Jake Fields in some space inside the box and Fields beat Federico Bertele with a shot out in front of the goal for his first tally of the season and his first of his UNCG career.

The Spartans turned up the heat on Coastal Carolina down the stretch as they battled for the game-tying goal. UNCG had two quality chances within two minutes of each other as freshman Noah Deangelo had a shot go just wide in the 79th minute and sophomore David Reittinger notched a shot in the 81st minute that Bertele was able to make a diving save on to keep the Chanticleers in the lead.

Ford finished the game with three saves for the Spartans, who were out-shot 14-10 in the loss but held a 7-6 advantage in the second half. Bertele notched two saves in the victory for the Chanticleers.

The Spartans open Southern Conference play Tuesday evening as they conclude their three-game road stretch by traveling to Davidson for a 7 p.m. start.  

 

Jacksonville 5, Georgia Southern 0

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Georgia Southern’s men’s soccer team suffered a tough 5-0 defeat on Saturday night at Jacksonville. The Eagles fell to 2-6-0 on the year, while Jacksonville improved to 1-6-1.

Georgia Southern finished the night even with the Dolphins in shooting with 15 shots each. Only one Eagle chance was credited on-goal, while eight JU shots were on frame.

Jacksonville struck twice in the first half, scoring in the 10th and 33rd minutes to gain a 2-0 lead. Matheus Saroli scored the first of his two goals on the day at the 9:47 mark for the eventual game-winner. Nick Rodriguez doubled the lead.

The Eagles fought back, earning chances in the attacking third on both sides of the halftime interval. GSU took a hit when Nick Lane was awarded a pair of yellow cards in the 50th and 60th minutes, making the Eagles finish the contest with just 10 players.

JU added three more goals in the 63rd, 70th and 81st minutes as the Eagles pushed forward for counterattacks. Henrik Synnes made it a 3-0 spread before Saroli’s second strike made it 4-0. Roshoir Elliott’s goal accounted for the final margin.

Georgia Southern travels to Presbyterian College on Wednesday evening for a 6 p.m. contest against the Blue Hose.