Appalachian State 2, East Tennessee State 1 (2OT)
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Appalachian State topped the East Tennessee State Buccaneers by a 2-1 final in a thrilling two-overtime match on Thursday evening.
The Mountaineers (2-1-5) seemingly controlled the first half of play with most of it falling in Bucs territory. Appalachian State led in shots after the first half of play by a 7-1 tally.
The second half began just how the first half ended. Physical play dominated the pitch and both teams were getting their opportunities. In the 71st minute, a ball played in by Trey Hemphill would connect with Stanley Broaden, who would proceed to place the ball in the upper left 90 for his third goal of the season.
The 1-0 Mountaineer lead would last until the final minute of the second half. The Buccaneers (2-3-2) tacked on an equalizing goal with 41 seconds remaining. It was a corner kick that Nate Hodges would eventually get past starting Appalachian State keeper Danny Free to make it 1-1.
The remaining 41 seconds would tick off the clock and the game would then head into overtime – familiar territory for the Mountaineers as they have finished this season with five ties.
Both teams would play a scoreless 10 minutes in the first overtime period with a few chances created for both teams. It was in the second overtime that the Mountaineers returned the favor to the Buccaneers.
With 31 seconds left in the second overtime period, Stephen Chapman played a beauty of a ball to connect with Broaden who, like earlier in the game, blasted the golden goal game-winner in the upper right 90 this time to secure the win for Appalachian. The second goal of the game for Broaden was his fourth of the 2013 campaign. The game-winning goal was the first of Broaden’s career.
Free earned his second win of the season, making one save and allowing just the one goal to get past him on numerous chances for ETSU.
The Mountaineers would outshoot the Bucs by an 18-15 margin.
Appalachian State returns to action on Sunday when it hosts Furman in its first conference match of the season. Kickoff is set for noon at Appalachian Soccer Stadium