Wofford 2, No. 24 Furman 0
GREENVILLE, S.C. – A pair of late goals from sophomore forward Matthew Aurednik gave the Wofford College men’s soccer team a 2-0 win, snapping No. 24 Furman’s eight-game unbeaten streak on Tuesday night at Stone Field.
The Terriers hit the game-winner in the 81st minute, as Aurednik scored his ninth goal of the season to put Wofford ahead 1-0. The break began on a long ball played in by senior defender Charlie Keeley that Aurdenik made contact with before the ball bounced off of a defender’s shoulder. Aurednik tapped the ball over keeper Sven Lissek high in the box. The ball bounced past both, and Aurednik would win the footrace with the keeper to touch it once more with his head to direct the ball into the back of the net.
Aurednik’s goal was the first conceded by the Southern Conference Player of the Month in 714:58 minutes, shattering Furman’s six-game shutout streak.
Aurednik struck again in the 84th minute, adding to the Terrier lead. Much like the last goal, the ball was played in on a breakaway, this time with Carlos Dominguez-Gonzalez feeding the pass. Aurednik beat a single defender on the right side of the box with a quick dodge before sliding the ball in the back side of the goal.
Wofford was outshot in the outing, 17-12. The two teams played an extremely physical game, combining for 35 fouls, earning six yellow cards in the affair. Furman’s Marco Ortiz and Tony Santibanez were booked along with Wofford’s Robin Hupin, Garrett Closs, Forrest Lasso and Aurednik. The yellow marked Lasso’s fifth of the season, suspending the senior from Saturday’s match against VMI.
The game began with the two sides feeling one another out, both playing very conservative through the first 10 minutes. Furman’s Bobby Edet took the match’s first try in the sixth, sailing the ball high over the net. Two minutes later, defender Kevin Hady would break up a run by Furman’s Lewis Hawke. Hady was called for a foul and gave the Paladins a free kick, but Wofford thwarted the chance with a long clearance out of bounds. The Terriers made a counterattack off a Furman corner with a three-on-two advantage but could not find their first goal.
The Terriers nearly saw their first goal in the 22nd minute, as Hady crossed the ball from 30 yards out on the far left into Aurednik in the box. Aurednik headed the ball just over the top of the net, barely off. Wofford had another offensive flurry minutes later. Aurednik added two more shots, while Connor Davis fired on goal, as well.
With five minutes remaining in the half, the Terriers drew a free kick, leading to another promising attack. Nestor Jaramillo took the free kick from just outside the box, bending it around the Furman wall and forcing a diving save from Lissek. Lasso tried to punch home a goal on a header from the corner following Jaramillo’s shot but was blocked. The teams entered the half level.
The Paladins nearly scored eight minutes into the second half on a free kick from 10 yards outside the box. The free kick was played into the box for a header that found the back of the goal before being called offside by the official. Ortiz struck a shot two minutes later, but a leaping punch from Closs saved the shot.
A Paladin score looked eminent in the 67th, when Edet had an open shot on goal after some defensive maneuvering, but Hady would come up large with another clearance after a rough tackle from Lasso would slow the attack. The Terriers would play for 14 more minutes before scoring the eventual game-winner.
Closs earns his third shutout of the season with the win, advancing to a 5-4-0 record.
The men’s soccer team returns home to Snyder Field where it will take on the Keydets of VMI on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.
The Paladins will look to rebound when they travel to Macon, Ga., to face SoCon newcomer Mercer on Saturday at 8 p.m.
ETSU 2, VMI 0
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The ETSU men's soccer team picked up its first Southern Conference win of the season Tuesday night, defeating VMI, 2-0, inside Summers-Taylor Stadium. The result was the also the first shutout of the year for the Bucs.
ETSU outshot the Keydets (1-9-1, 0-3-0 SoCon) by a 20-2 margin in the contest and benefited from goals by freshman Fletcher Ekern and senior Anthony Wojas.
Ekern gave the Bucs (5-5-0, 1-2-0) a 1-0 lead with a 27th-minute goal, his first collegiate goal, off an assist from sophomore William Nordenstrom.
ETSU sealed the victory with a 64th-minute score by Wojas, who was assisted by ETSU’s leading goal scorer, Joao Ramalho.
The Bucs will continue SoCon play Friday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m., as they visit UNCG.
VMI returns to action Saturday at Wofford at 5 p.m.
Mercer 3, UNCG 2
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men’s soccer team outlasted UNCG, 3-2, on Tuesday night at Bear Field.
The Bears improved to 7-4-0 on the season and 3-0-0 in Southern Conference play, marking the second time under head coach Brad Ruzzo that Mercer has opened league play with a 3-0 mark.
UNCG (1-8-2, 1-1-1 SoCon) scored first to take a 1-0 lead when Tommi Gardarsson’s header went in goal in the 10th minute.
Mercer answered quickly, as Will Bagrou slotted the ball into the left corner of the net from the right side, knotting the score at 1-1 in the 12th minute. Bagrou gave the Bears a 2-1 lead in the 42nd minute after receiving a pass from David Murtaugh and then tapping the ball in from just outside the post.
The Spartans tied the game back up at 2-2 in the 59th minute when Austin Miller found the back of the net on a penalty kick.
The game remained tied and looked poised to go to overtime when Max Poore scored off a penalty kick to give the Bears a 3-2 advantage, one they would hold on to for the final 5:57 of the game. The goal marked Poore’s third of the season, all of which have come from penalty kicks.
Mercer outshot UNCG, 26-14, and the Bears had eight corner kicks to the Spartan’s five. Additionally, Greg Ranjitsingh made five saves, including four in the first half alone.
It was a very physical game from start to finish, with a total of six yellow cards and one red card issued. UNCG’s Quin Lema got a red card in the 67th minute, leading the Bears to play man-up for the remainder of the game.
The Bears will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 8 p.m. when they host Furman.
UNCG hosts ETSU on Saturday at 7 p.m.