Wofford 2, North Florida 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Sophomores Charlie Keeley and Connor Davis each scored goals as the Wofford men’s soccer team defeated the University of North Florida 2-0 Saturday evening.
With the win, the Terriers extended their six match unbeaten streak and improved to 5-3-1 overall. The Ospreys fell to 4-2-1 for the season.
Coming into the match, Wofford was ranked ninth in the South Region, while North Florida was ranked one spot ahead in eighth.
In the first half, the Terriers would have the first opportunity in the 17th minute when junior midfielder Carlos Dominguez Gonzalez had a shot blocked just outside the 6-yard box.
The Ospreys would respond and have a great chance to score when Sean Young had his long-range effort saved off the crossbar by Terriers freshman goalkeeper Garrett Closs in the 20th minute.
Wofford finally got on the board in the 30th minute when it was awarded a free kick just outside the 18-yard box. Dominguez Gonzalez played it in to Davis, who headed it on to Keeley for the finish inside the 6. The game-winning goal was Keeley’s first of the season.
The rest of the first half would remain 1-0, with both teams unable to put away any other chances.
In the second half, sophomore midfielder Nestor Jaramillo would create the first Wofford chance of the half when he had a screaming shot from 30 yards just miss past the left post in the 65th minute.
The Terriers would score their second goal of the game in the 70th minute when Davis scored on a header off of senior Billy Padula’s long throw-in. For Davis, the goal was his team-leading seventh of the season, and for Padula, the assist was a team-high sixth of the season.
North Florida battled with Wofford in the final minutes, but it was not able to score as the Terriers were victorious for their fifth straight match, 2-0.
For the match, Wofford outshot the Ospreys 19-4 and had a slight edge in the corner battle, 3-2.
In goal for the Terriers, Closs earned his second win of the season, improving his record to 2-3-0. He faced four shots and made two saves. For North Florida, Brad Sienkiewicz fell to his second loss of the season, moving to 4-2-1 overall. He faced 19 Terrier shots and made five saves.
The men’s soccer team is back in action on Saturday, Oct. 5, when it travels to Georgia Southern University to play in its second Southern Conference match of the season. Kickoff in Statesboro, Ga., will be at 7 p.m.
UNCG 1, Longwood 0
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Junior forward David Reittinger scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season in the fourth minute of the game to lead the UNCG men’s soccer team to a 1-0 victory over visiting Longwood on Saturday night at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Stephen Moffitt posted his fifth shutout of the season with five saves, including one on a Longwood penalty kick in the first half.
The Spartans came out of the gate with energy and put pressure on the Lancers from the first whistle. Senior forward Brian Graham had a pair of chances just 3:25 into the game as he had his first shot blocked by a Longwood defender before ripping the rebound back on goal, but goalkeeper Carlos Canas was there to make a diving save.
The Spartans’ momentum continued after the early chances as UNCG found the back of the net just 3:51 into the game. The Spartans sent a long ball into the 18-yard box where Graham was able to bring it down and possess the ball with a defender on his back. He held the defender at bay before laying it off to Reittinger, who buried it in the back of the net from 12 yards out past a helpless Canas for the 1-0 lead. Reittinger’s goal was his team-leading fourth of the season and third of the year at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.
Longwood weathered the early storm and started to gain traction. The Lancers were awarded a penalty kick in the 18th minute as the Spartans’ pulled down a player in the box. Brian Henry stepped up to take the penalty kick for the Lancers and ripped a shot toward the bottom left corner, but Moffitt made a full-extension, diving save to keep the Spartans in the lead.
The Spartans controlled play for most of the first half, holding an 8-5 edge in shots heading into the locker room.
UNCG had a quality chance in the 64th minute when forward Dustin Gamradt found space behind the defense and sent a shot from 12 yards out just over the crossbar.
UNCG had a prime chance just minutes later off a set piece as sophomore Lukas Zarges sent a bending ball to the top of the 6-yard box. Freshman defender Hugo Coicaud got to the ball first and was able to poke a shot onto goal from 6 yards out with his long reach, but Canas as able to knock it down to keep it a one-goal game.
Longwood started to find some chances in the final 10 minutes as it pushed for the equalizer. Anthony Ugorji took a long ball in the 18-yard box and made a little space before ripping a shot on goal, but Moffitt was there to thwart the effort.
The Lancers had their best scoring chance of the night with just 1:52 left in regulation. Longwood sent the ball into the box, and after it bounced around, Jonathan Kukapa sent it to the far post past Moffitt. Zarges was on the goal line and cleared it off before it crossed to preserve the Spartans’ victory.
The Spartans improve to 5-4-0 with the victory with all five of their victories coming as shutouts. UNCG is outscoring opponents 8-0 in its victories while being outscored 2-10 in its losses.
Longwood fell to 1-4-2 on the season and was playing its first road game since the first weekend of September.
UNCG hits the road for a pair of nonconference games next week, beginning Tuesday as it travels to Georgia State for a 7 p.m. contest.
Elon 4, High Point 1
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Junior forward Jason Waterman scored two goals and had an assist as the Elon men’s soccer team earned a 4-1 victory on the road against High Point on Saturday night at Vert Stadium.
Elon improved to 7-1-1 on the season and snapped the Panthers’ five-match unbeaten streak against the Phoenix. The Maroon and Gold held a 15-9 advantage on shots in the match, including an 8-3 mark on frame. The Phoenix also dominated in corners, 7-1.
Elon scored the first points of the match after a recovery on a Phoenix corner kick near the 22nd minute. Charles Howard played the ball and sent a pass into the box, where Matt Wescoe delivered a touch pass to Waterman. Waterman’s header hit the left post, but the ricochet went into the back of the net for his fifth score of the year.
The Phoenix added to its lead near the 40th minute of the match. Cauê Da Silva took a ball on a breakaway from Miguel Salazar on the right side and delivered a great floater over the keeper from 18 yards away to give Elon a 2-0 lead.
High Point (2-5-1) almost scored its first goal of the match with nearly a minute left in the opening half. Austin Yearwood sent in a corner kick that found the foot of Chris Ramsell, but his strike was blocked. The ball dangerously edged the line, but it was eventually cleared by the Maroon and Gold defense.
Both teams played evenly in the opening stanza with Elon only having a one-shot advantage over the Panthers (5-4), but the Phoenix held a 3-1 lead in corners.
The Maroon and Gold continued to be aggressive in the start of the second period and got on the board again in the 52nd minute. Waterman took a cross from Austin Dunker and delivered another pass into the box, where Wescoe finished it off for the Phoenix’s third score of the game.
Waterman added his second goal of the contest four minutes later thanks to another long cross down the field from Dunker. Daniel Lovitz this time sent it into the box and found a streaking Waterman, who snuck behind the keeper for an easy tap-in and a 4-0 cushion.
High Point continued to press offensively but could not get past the Phoenix back four for the majority of the match. Elon doubled the Panthers in shots during the second stanza, 10-5, and was very organized defensively to prevent any opportunities.
HPU finally got on the board in the 87th minute after the Panthers earned a free kick. Brandon Sloane sent the ball past Elon keeper Nathan Dean for the High Point’s lone goal of the match.
That would set the final score as the Phoenix earned its first win against the Panthers since 2007 and its first true road victory of 2013.
Dean played all 90 minutes between the posts for Elon and had a pair of saves. High Point’s keeper, Ryan Massey, also played the entire match and corralled the ball four times.
Elon continues its road trip Tuesday at Campbell in Buies Creek, N.C. That match is slated for a 7 p.m. start.