No. 17 Furman 2, No. 9 Clemson 1
CLEMSON, S.C. – Sophomore Tyler Peoples and senior Michael Gandier scored on either side of intermission to give No. 17 Furman a 2-0 lead, and Sven Lissek recorded several saves in the final minutes as the Paladins topped ninth-ranked Clemson, 2-1, in men’s soccer action on Tuesday night at Historic Riggs Field.
The victory extended the Paladins’ winning streak to 10 matches as they improved to 9-1-2 on the season and marked Furman’s fifth win over the Tigers in the last six series meetings. Clemson, which defeated No. 6 North Carolina and tied nationally ranked Wake Forest in its previous two matches, slipped to 8-3-2.
Peoples opened the scoring in the 18th minute with his fifth goal of the season. Bobby Edet received a cross on the left side of the box and played a ball toward goal that deflected into the path of Peoples. The Conyers, Ga., product hammered a one-timer to the far, right corner from the top of the box to beat Clemson goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell.
After the Paladins absorbed pressure from the Tigers’ attack through the remainder of the first half, Furman doubled its lead less than five minutes into the second period. A Martin Ontiveros run earned the Paladins a free kick wide from the left side, and the Pharr, Texas, native served a set piece to the top of the 6-yard box that Gandier headed past Tarbell at 49:59. The goal proved to be the eventual match-winner and Gandier’s second winner versus the Tigers in as many seasons.
Clemson pulled a goal back in the 61st minute. Jack Metcalf lofted a long ball behind the Paladin defense to set Iain Smith free and the forward slotted a shot past Lissek on the breakaway to cut the lead in half.
The Tigers upped the pressure as they searched for the equalizer in the final minutes. Alexandre Happi missed high on a pair of chances and Lissek was forced to preserve the lead by tipping an Alex Stockinger shot over the bar following a scramble off of a Tigers corner kick.
Lissek, a Sewau, Germany, native and the reigning SoCon Player of the Week, finished with five saves to earn the victory in goal. Tarbell took the loss for Clemson.
The Tigers held a 14-5 shots edge and 6-2 advantage in shots on goal.
Furman returns to action on Saturday at 7 p.m. when it hosts No. 25 Elon on Seagraves Field at Stone Stadium.
UNCG 2, Davidson 1
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Despite allowing a penalty kick goal just 21 seconds into the game, the UNCG men’s soccer team rallied for a pivotal 2-1 victory over Southern Conference foe Davidson on Tuesday night at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.
The victory improved the Spartans to 2-0-1 in SoCon play this season in sole possession of second place with seven points in three league games.
The Spartans have posted a 2-0-2 record over the last four games with wins over Appalachian State and Davidson, while tying Campbell and Furman. Since the second half of the Campbell game, UNCG is outscoring opponents by a 6-2 margin over the last 335 minutes of play.
Davidson (6-6-1, 1-3-0 SoCon) opened the scoring just 21 seconds into the game as the Spartans were called for a foul inside the 18-yard box, giving the Wildcats a penalty kick. Alex Reiter stepped up for Davidson and whipped a shot into the bottom left corner past a diving Stephen Moffitt for the stunning early lead in the first minute.
The Spartans answered right back just 4:45 later, as they capitalized on their first scoring chance. Junior Justin Jones beat a Davidson defender and sent a cross into the 6-yard box, where freshman Hill Gwynn drilled a header past goalkeeper Matt Pacifici and into the back of the net for his first career goal to tie the game at 1-1.
Davidson responded with the next couple of chances, including a prime scoring opportunity in the 38th minute off a free kick from 40 yards out. The Wildcats sent the ball into the 18-yard box, where Alex Feliciano got his head on it and flicked it toward the back post, but Moffitt was there to smother the shot, keeping the game tied at 1 apiece.
UNCG (7-5-2, 2-0-1 SoCon) scored its second of the half just before the break, taking a 2-1 lead in the 42nd minute of play. The Spartans had a set piece just inside the midline, where junior David Reittinger found Jake Fields streaking down the right side. Fields quickly drove a cross through the 6-yard box, where redshirt sophomore Dustin Gamradt was waiting at the back post to drive his header home for his third goal of the season and a 2-1 lead.
Davidson opened the second half putting pressure on the Spartans as it looked for the equalizing goal. In the 55th minute, the Wildcats combined just outside the 18-yard box and Alec Rotunda got free from 12 yards out and ripped a shot on goal, but Moffitt was there to thwart the effort.
The Spartans’ best chance of the second half came on a counterattack as the Wildcats were pushing forward. Senior Oddur Gudmundsson broke down the right side and beat a Davidson defender to the end line. Gudmundsson sent a cross into the box, where sophomore Lukas Zarges got his head on the ball, but Pacifici was there to deny the effort and keep it a one-goal game.
The Wildcats had the game’s final chance in the 89th minute of play as they pushed everyone forward looking for the game-tying goal. Davidson was having a hard time cracking the Spartans’ defense in a dangerous way so, Chris Pettiglio made a run in the midfield into some space and cracked a shot from 20 yards out that sailed across the mouth of the goal and wide of the target as Moffitt was in position to keep the ball out of harm’s way.
Moffitt picked up his seventh win of the season as he made two saves in the victory, while Pacifici tallied three saves in the loss.
UNCG returns to action Saturday night for a crucial SoCon road contest that will pit the top two teams, point-wise, in the standings against each other when the Spartans battle Wofford. The Terriers lead the league with nine points on a 3-1-0 record, while UNCG is second with seven points with a 2-0-1 record. Game time in Spartanburg is set for 6 p.m.
Davidson returns to action this weekend when it entertains Bowling Green on Homecoming Saturday at 7 p.m.
Appalachian State 3, Wofford 2
BOONE, N.C. – It was an historic night at Appalachian Soccer Stadium with a record attendance of 1,160 soccer fans making their way to catch a glimpse of the beautiful game. The Mountaineers didn’t disappoint, downing league-leading Wofford 3-2 Tuesday.
Appalachian State (3-3-6, 1-2-1) beat Wofford (7-5-1, 3-1-0) to give the previously unbeaten Terriers their first loss in Southern Conference play and the Mountaineers their first win. The game also marked the most goals the Mountaineers have scored in a game since Sept. 6 against UNC Asheville in a 5-0 rout.
The Apps would strike first in the eighth minute of the game when Stanley Broaden crossed the ball in front of the goal line and Kojo Thompson was able to finish it off for his first goal of the season and an early 1-0 lead.
The Terriers would answer back in the 27th minute when Nestor Jaramillo took a free kick and a rebound off of a Danny Free save would pop back to Nick Orton, who would find the back of the net to tie the score at 1-1. Free (3-2-6) made six huge saves in the effort.
The teams would head to the locker room deadlocked at 1-1. Wofford held the advantage in shots throughout the first 45 minutes by a 6-3 advantage.
In the second half, it wouldn’t take Appalachian State long to get its lead back. In the 47th minute, Stephen Chapman stole the ball at the top of the 18 and dribbled into the box, beating the keeper to the right to give the Apps a 2-1 lead. It was the third goal of the season for Chapman.
A little over one minute later in the 49th minute, the Mountaineers would strike again. Alex Herbst flicked on a free kick to allow Harrison Delbridge a clean shot on net, and he took advantage. Delbridge blasted his third goal of the season past Garrett Closs, who received the start for Wofford in net. Closs (4-5-0) made one save on the night.
With a 3-1 lead in the 81st minute, the Terriers would be awarded a penalty kick on an apparent hand ball. Jaramillo would convert for the Terriers and draw the score to 3-2.
Appalachian State would hang on, however, and get a good result in conference play. Wofford outshot Appalachian 17-8 on the night, but the Mountaineers made the most of their chances. In total, 37 fouls were called and nine yellow cards were dished out.
The Mountaineers will now travel to Georgia Southern on Saturday for another conference matchup. Kickoff from Statesboro, Ga., is set for 7 p.m.
Elon 1, Georgia Southern 0
ELON, N.C. – The No. 25 Elon University men’s soccer team dominated the ball throughout and held on late to earn a 1-0 Southern Conference victory over Georgia Southern on Tuesday night at Rudd Field.
Matt Wescoe scored the lone goal of the match in the 31st minute for the Phoenix, who improved to 10-2-1 on the year and 2-1 in SoCon play. The maroon and gold reached the double-digit win plateau for the second straight season and the fifth time overall under head coach Darren Powell.
For the match, Elon outshot Georgia Southern (4-8, 0-3 SoCon) 20-5 and allowed just one shot on goal for its sixth shutout of the season. The Phoenix also blanked the Eagles in corners, 9-0.
Elon jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first half thanks to some solid play by Wescoe, Jason Waterman and James Brace. Brace make a solid diving tackle to get the ball back to Waterman on the left side of the field. Waterman then sent a through ball to the box, where and found Wescoe for his fourth score of the year.
The Eagles nearly responded four minutes later as Reed Norton had a great look at the net, but his attempt went high. Another attempt by GSU’s Eric Dinka also went wide of the goal and the Phoenix went into the half with its 1-0 lead intact.
Elon was in complete control in the opening 45 minutes, outshooting the Eagles 11-3, with a 5-0 mark on corners.
In the second stanza, the Phoenix did not let up offensively and continued to look for its second score of the match. Forward Thorsten Pacher had a couple of opportunities in the 70th and 71st minutes but was unlucky on both as his first attempt was knocked out of play by Georgia Southern keeper Neal Bates. On the following corner kick, Pacher’s second attempt from 7 yards hit the post, giving the ball back to the Eagles.
Georgia Southern created a few frantic moments late in the last 10 minutes of the contest. Jeremy Rector saw his attempt at the 80th minute blocked by an Elon defender, while the maroon and gold back four also defensed Witt Carlisle’s shot in the 83rd minute.
The clean sheet was the fifth of the season for Elon keeper Nathan Dean, who made a save while playing all 90 minutes between the posts. Bates had eight saves for the Eagles and also played every minute of the match.
Elon will travel back to the state of South Carolina this Saturday to face No. 22 Furman in a conference match between ranked teams. That game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Senior night is up next for Georgia Southern. The Eagles honor their seniors on Saturday before the 7 p.m. match against Appalachian State.