ETSU 3, William & Mary 2
RICHMOND, Va. – Junior forward Joao Ramalho scored twice, while redshirt freshman Warren Austin scored the eventual game-winner as the ETSU men's soccer team knocked off William & Mary, 3-2, Friday night as part of the VCU Invitational.
The match marked the first regular-season contest for ETSU first-year head coach Bo Oshoniyi.
After falling behind, 1-0, on a third-minute goal by William & Mary's Reilly Maw, ETSU rattled off three consecutive goals (32', 46' and 50') to earn a 3-2 victory in the Buccaneers' season-opener.
Ramalho scored the first two goals for the Bucs (1-0), with Emmanuel Wilson assisting the first score (32'). Early in the second half, redshirt freshman goalkeeper Daniel Adelman booted a deep goal kick, which Ramalho chased down to score his second goal of the game (46') and give the Bucs a 2-1 lead.
Less than four minutes after Ramalho's second goal, redshirt freshman Austin converted a header (50') off a pass from freshman Samuel Sevigny to extend ETSU's lead to 3-1. Austin's eventual game-winner was the first goal of his collegiate career.
The Tribe (0-1) cut the deficit to 3-2 with an 82nd-minute score, but the Bucs would hold on to clinch the victory.
Last season, William & Mary picked up two wins against the nation's No. 1 ranked team within a 10-day span, beating No. 1 Creighton, 3-2 (2OT) Sept. 15, and No. 1 North Carolina, 1-0, Sept. 24. The Tribe, who clinched a berth in the 2013 NCAA tournament, received votes in the most recent NSCAA Top 25 Coaches' Poll.
ETSU will play one more match in the VCU Invitational, taking on host VCU on Sunday, Aug. 31, at 3:30 p.m. Like William & Mary, VCU advanced to the NCAA tournament last season. The Rams also received votes in the latest NSCAA Top 25 Coaches' Poll.
Mercer 2, Georgia State 0
MACON, Ga. – A gritty effort from the Mercer men's soccer team resulted in a 2-0 victory over Georgia State in Friday night's season opener at Bear Field.
Sophomore midfielder Reid Folkard scored first for Mercer (1-0), hitting the right side of the net off an assist from freshman Andrew McKeever in the 53rd minute. Freshman forward Will Bagrou fired one into the left corner of the net in the 88th minute to seal the victory for the Bears.
Sophomore midfielder Jordan Duru led the Bears' offensive attack, tallying six shots, including three on goal. Bagrou added four shots and sophomore defender Ian Antley and junior midfielder David Murtaugh each notched two shots. Senior goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh made five saves on the night.
The teams were fairly evenly matched, with Georgia State taking 17 shots to Mercer's 16. The Bears fired off nine corner kicks, while GSU only managed four. The physically heated game included 24 fouls and three yellow cards.
Next up, Mercer hosts UAB on Sunday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m. at Bear Field.
Seattle 2, Furman 1
DANIEL ISLAND, S.C. – Seattle’s Jeff Rose netted his second goal of the night in the 86th minute to lift the Redhawks to a 2-1 victory over Furman in the men’s soccer season opener for both schools on Friday in the Aaron Olitsky Memorial Classic at Blackbaud Stadium.
Rose won the ball during a scramble in the box and poked a shot past Paladin goalkeeper Sven Lissek for the deciding goal as the Redhawks improved to 1-0 and Furman slipped to 0-1 on the season.
After Rose handed Seattle a 1-0 halftime lead with a curling, left-footed shot from outside the box in the 13th minute, Furman found the equalizer at the 74:06 mark on freshman Brendan Richardson’s first career goal. Kevin Pahl’s corner kick found the head of Richardson, who leveled the game by heading past Redhawk keeper Shane Haworth.
With under 20 seconds remaining in regulation, Furman mounted a last-second attack, but Richardson’s last-gasp header rattled the crossbar as Seattle survived the Paladin pressure to claim the season-opening victory.
Lissek totaled two saves for the Paladins, while Seattle’s Haworth stopped seven shots for the Redhawks. Furman controlled the majority of the possession on the night and compiled a 17-14 advantage in shots while holding an 8-4 edge in shots on goal.
Furman will look to break into the win column when it faces nationally ranked UC Santa Barbara on Sunday at 12 p.m. in the final round of College of Charleston’s Aaron Olitsky Classic.
Winthrop 1, Wofford 0
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Wofford College men's soccer team dropped a 1-0 decision in a tightly contested season opener against Winthrop University on Friday night.
The match's lone goal came early in the second half, as Winthrop junior forward Jordan Stoddart scored his first goal of the season on an assist from senior midfielder Cody Winter. Winter played the ball over the top, and Stoddart got around sophomore keeper Garrett Closs before tapping the ball into the back of the net.
Wofford was well matched by Winthrop, as the two teams remained relatively even statistically. Wofford logged 13 shots to Winthrop's eight, but the Eagles had seven corner opportunities to the Terriers’ four. The two played a physical match, totaling 25 fouls between the two sides. Winthrop racked up five yellow cards by the time the game was over, with Jordi Lluch, Zack Smythe, Pol Sole, Kyle Kennedy and Sean Comer each receiving one.
The Terriers had a few chances to score, with their closest coming in the 39th minute. Junior midfielder Will Puckett crossed a corner into the box for a header from senior captain Forrest Lasso, but the shot sailed over the crossbar.
The loss sent keeper Closs to 0-1-0 on the season after logging 90 minutes in goal and making three saves. For Winthrop, junior Fabian Broich's four saves were enough to earn him the victory, moving him to 1-0-0 on the 2014 campaign.
Friday's defeat made the Terriers 5-6-1 against the Eagles all time.
The Terriers look to regroup before heading into their next matchup against Gardner-Webb on Sunday in Boiling Springs, N.C. The afternoon match will begin at 4 p.m.
Campbell 1, UNCG 0
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Despite holding a commanding 23-14 edge in shots, the UNCG men’s soccer team dropped its 2014 season opener Friday night to Campbell 1-0 in front of 1,262 fans at the UNCG Soccer Stadium. The Spartans posted 18 second-half shots in the loss, including two off the post, while Campbell goalkeeper Matthew Mozynski posted a career-high 10 saves for the Camels.
The Spartans (0-1-0) had the best chance in the first half that was played at a slower pace in the first regular-season action of the season. In the 17th minute, senior defender Aaron Reifschneider stepped up on a set piece from 25 yards out and ripped a shot that glanced off the Campbell wall. The ball deflected back across the grain, but Mozynski was able to punch it over the bar to keep the game scoreless.
Neither team had many chances in the first 45 minutes as the shots were tied at five apiece, but the second half was a different story as UNCG held an 18-9 edge in shots in the second stanza. The Camels scored the game’s lone goal in the 52nd minute as they took advantage of a fortuitous bounce. Campbell sent a ball into the 6-yard box but a UNCG defender out-jumped a Campbell player and headed the ball away from goal. The clearing attempt came down at the feet of Isaiah Page, who deposited it into the back of the net from 12 yards out for the 1-0 lead.
The goal sparked the Spartans’ fighting spirit as they tilted the field toward the Camels goal. Just minutes later, junior Jacques Francois was hauled down in the box and UNCG was awarded a penalty kick. Reifschneider stepped up but his shot from the spot was deflected out by Mozynski to keep Campbell in front.
UNCG kept the pressure on and in the 58th minute came within inches of a goal. After a corner kick was cleared out by Campbell, junior Lukas Zarges got the ball 20 yards out and ripped a bending shot past the goalkeeper, but it struck the post to keep UNCG off the board. Zarges again had another great chance in the 64th minute as he took a set piece from 20 yards out that whipped over the wall and looked destined for the goal, but Mozynski again thwarted the effort.
The Spartans’ had another great chance in the 70th minute of play as Francois was found in behind the Campbell back line. He was able to sneak by the last defender and was one-on-one against the goalkeeper, but Mozynski was able to make a sprawling save to preserve the victory.
Francois finished the game with five shots on the night, while Zarges added four shots. Freshman Neico Regent came off the bench in the second half and accounted for five shots of his own, igniting the attack. Fifth-year senior goalkeeper Davis Griffin got the nod in goal and posted five saves in 90 minutes of action.
The Spartans will be back in action Monday evening as they travel to UNCW. Game time in Wilmington, N.C., is set for 7 p.m. and will be the Spartans’ second game during a season-opening eight-day stretch where they play three games in just over a week.