Mercer 1, VMI 0
LEXINGTON, Va. – The Mercer men’s soccer team defeated VMI 1-0 on Saturday afternoon to pick up its first-ever Southern Conference win.
In the 21st minute, Airrion Blackstock slighted a ball from deep to Jordan Duru, who fired the ball into the bottom right corner to put Mercer up 1-0. The Bears (5-4-0, 1-0-0 SoCon) proceeded to create several chances but were unable to reach the back of the net for a second time.
Mercer led VMI (1-6-1, 0-1-0 SoCon) in both shots, 24-4, and corner kicks, 6-2. Duru led the attack for the Bears with seven shots. Additionally, Thomas Glenn had four shots and Chandler Klemm notched three.
With the win, coach Brad Ruzzo improved to 7-0 in conference openers while at the helm of Mercer men’s soccer.
VMI keeper Alex Guerra finished his afternoon with 11 saves, stopping six attempts in the first half and another five in the second half.
Next up, Mercer faces ETSU on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m. in Johnson City, Tenn.
VMI returns to action Tuesday, Sept. 30, at Virginia Tech at 7 p.m.
Wofford 2, College of Charleston 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – A pair of goals from sophomore Matthew Aurednik proved to be enough, as the Wofford College men’s soccer team earned a 2-0 victory over the College of Charleston on Saturday afternoon at Snyder Field.
Aurednik began scoring for the Terriers early, hitting the eventual game-winner in just the eight minute of action. Senior defender Charlie Keeley began the run, launching the ball forward to Aurdenik. The sophomore then dodged two defenders, working his way into the right side of the box. He then shot the ball hard and low, sinking it into the bottom-left corner of the goal past Charleston keeper Alex Young.
Aurednik replicated the move in the 78th minute, finding success once again. This time, junior midfielder Connor Davis started the break, lifting the ball in to an open Aurednik. The forward struck the ball from the right side of the box, sending it home to the bottom-left once again for his fifth goal of the season.
Wofford looked dominant in the showing, staying aggressive throughout and pressing the ball the majority of the time. The Terriers outshot the Cougars 16-12 in the contest, though College of Charleston did create more opportunities from the corner (7-2). Wofford also utilized the bench more than any other match this year, with 10 substitutes seeing action.
Garrett Closs earned his third win and second clean sheet of the season in goal for Wofford, with four useful saves in the match. Young dropped to 2-5-1 on the season.
The Terriers made it a priority to apply offensive pressure early, attempting three shots in the first 10 minutes. Senior classmates Ryan Hurst and Nick Orton both had promising attempts on goal in the first five minutes before Aurednik’s game-winner in the eighth. The two teams battled back and forth, remaining relatively level statistically into the half.
The Terriers took over in the second half, nearly scoring multiple times before Aurednik’s second goal. Will Puckett almost added an insurance goal in the 57th minute, missing just wide after crisp passes from Orton and senior Benny Puetter put him in position to move ahead. Four minutes later, Orton forced Young to earn one of his five saves, shooting in a one-on-one situation. The final shot for the Terriers came in the 87th minute when Aurednik attempted to leave the afternoon with a hat trick but placed the ball wide to the right of the net.
Wofford concludes its three-game homestand on Tuesday, when it opens Southern Conference play against ETSU. The game is an “Anchorman” theme night, with kickoff at 7 p.m. at Snyder Field.