Furman 1, Mercer 0 (2OT)
MACON, Ga. – Tony Santibanez converted from the penalty spot in the 102nd minute to lift Furman to a 1-0 victory over Mercer in Southern Conference men’s soccer action on Tuesday evening at Bear Field.
The victory improved the Paladins to 4-3-2 overall and kept Furman on top of the SoCon standings with a perfect 3-0-0 league mark.
After producing just one great scoring opportunity in 90 minutes of regulation, Furman created two golden goal chances in extra time. In the first overtime period, freshman Josiah Baker drew a foul at the top of the 18-yard box to earn Furman a penalty kick, but senior Kevin Pahl’s shot was deflected away on a diving save by Mercer goalkeeper Jeremy Booth in the 95th minute.
Less than two minutes into the second extra period, Baker turned his defender around at the top of the box and was tripped to earn the Paladins their second penalty kick of the night. Santibanez stepped up to the spot and lined a low shot into the corner past Booth to give Furman’s its first 3-0 start in league play since beginning conference play 4-0 in 2008.
The Paladin defense dominated the night as it held Mercer to just nine total shots and only three shots on goal in over 101 minutes of play. Goalkeeper Sven Lissek made three saves to record his third consecutive shutout, aided by a sprawling save with the legs on a first-half chance for the Bears near the right corner of Furman’s 6-yard box.
Booth stopped two shots for Mercer, who lost at home for the first time this season.
Furman managed a 12-9 edge in shot attempts, while Mercer earned four corner kicks to the Paladins’ three.
The Paladins return home to host Upstate rival Wofford on Saturday at Stone Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The match will be streamed on the SoCon Digital Network.
Mercer returns to action Saturday at ETSU for a 7 p.m. match.
Wofford 3, VMI 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Two own goals and a penalty kick goal allowed for the Wofford men’s soccer team to pick up its second SoCon victory Tuesday night, a 3-1 victory over VMI at Snyder Field.
Midfielder Connor Donohue provided Wofford the penalty kick goal in the 58th minute. A hard foul in the box by a VMI defender set up the try for Donohue. He nailed the kick past Keydet keeper Alex Guerra into the back right corner of the net for his fourth goal of the season, tying him for the team lead with forward Matthew Aurednik.
The Terriers (7-2-1, 2-1-0 SoCon) took an early 1-0 lead in the 26th minute. Donohue approached the net from the left side and attempted to cross the ball into the center to a streaking Aurednik. A VMI defender, however, cut the pass off and knocked it into the net for an own goal.
The third goal for the Terriers also came on a VMI own goal in the 69th minute. Midfielder Will Puckett launched a free kick from the left side toward defender Kyle Nelson positioned in front of the net. A VMI defender got to the ball first and knocked it into the net, giving the Terriers a 3-0 lead.
VMI (0-11-0, 0-3-0 SoCon) broke up the shutout late, as midfielder David Harpen launched a ball from near midfield into the top right corner of the net for his first goal of the season at the 74th minute. The Terrier defense held strong the rest of the match though to secure the victory.
Terrier goalkeeper Garrett Closs earned the victory in net, playing all 90 minutes while saving three shots. Guerra took the loss in net for the Keydets, racking up seven saves in the match.
The win extends Wofford’s winning streak at Snyder Field to 12 games dating back to the 2013 season.
The Terriers’ next match is Saturday, as the team travels down the road to play SoCon rival Furman at 7 p.m. at Stone Soccer Stadium.
VMI returns to Southern Conference action Saturday with a home game versus UNCG at 2 p.m. at Patchin Field.
ETSU 1, UNCG 1 (2OT)
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men’s soccer team returned home to the UNCG Soccer Stadium and posted a 1-1 double-overtime tie against Southern Conference foe ETSU on Tuesday night. The tie snapped a three-game winning streak for the Spartans against the Bucs.
The Spartans opened the just 8:11 into the game as their early pressure forced back-to-back corner kicks. On the second set piece, freshman Leeroy Maguraushe sent a long ball into the 6-yard box. Junior forward Damieon Thomas was able to rise above his defender and head home the ball past ETSU goalkeeper Jonny Sutherland for the early 1-0 lead. The goal was Thomas’ team-leading fifth of the season.
The Spartans controlled play for most of the first half, holding a 5-2 edge in corner kicks and maintaining possession for most of the half but only took a 1-0 lead into the locker room. ETSU came out in the second half and flipped the script, controlling the run of play as it posted a 13-3 edge in shots in the second half.
The Buccaneers finally broke through in the 80th minute of play as Ben Holt made a long run down the right-hand side. Holt sent a cross that went all the way across the mouth of the goal, where Fletcher Ekern was there to bury it on the back post past freshman goalkeeper Jon Milligan, tying the game at 1-1.
The Spartans looked like they would tie the game in the 81st minute of play. Sophomore midfielder Moises Gonzalez found some space at the top of the 18-yard box and ripped a bending shot past Sutherland, but it struck the cross bar and went out of play in the final strong chance of regulation.
UNCG had the first chance of the extra time in the 95th minute of play off a set piece. Maguraushe sent a perfect service into the box, where junior Corey Croegaert was there to flick the ball toward the back post. The ball was destined for the far corner but Sutherland made a diving one-handed save to push the shot wide and keep the game tied.
ETSU had a chance in the final seconds of the first overtime. Cameron Woodfin got behind the UNCG defense with 10 seconds left in the period and beat Milligan with a shot from the top of the 18-yard box, but the shot hit the crossbar to keep the game going.
The Spartans had a prime chance in the 108th minute of play as senior midfielder Ben Burdon was hauled down in the box and UNCG was awarded a penalty kick. Maguraushe stepped up to the spot and had Sutherland beat with his shot but it struck the inside of the post and bounced back into play, where ETSU was able to clear it to seal the 1-1 tie.
Milligan, making his first career appearance, finished the night with four saves in 110 minutes while Sutherland accounted for five saves, including a spectacular save in overtime to preserve the tie.
UNCG returns to action Saturday afternoon as it travels to Lexington, Va., for a meeting with VMI. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
The Bucs look to get a second victory in conference play as they host the Mercer Bears on Oct. 10. The match is set for 7 p.m. at Summers-Taylor Stadium.