UNCG 1, Virginia Tech 0 (2OT)
BLACKSBURG, Va. – The UNCG men’s soccer team went the distance and then some in its 2015 season opener as the Spartans hit the road and came away with a 1-0 double-overtime victory over Atlantic Coast Conference foe Virginia Tech on Friday night at Thompson Field. Freshman forward Leeroy Maguraushe scored his first career goal in the 106th minute of play to give the Spartans the victory, sending them home in celebration.
The first overtime went without either team threatening too much and the Spartans had the only chance in the second overtime. UNCG controlled play in the second overtime period as it got stronger as the night got later. The Spartans built possession through the midfield and Jacques Francois got the ball about 25 yards from goal. He made a couple of moves and cut to his left before finding Maguraushe making a diagonal run. Maguraushe took the open space and ripped a left-footed shot into the top corner of the net and sending the Spartans streaming onto the field in celebration. The goal was the first of his career in his first career collegiate game.
UNCG keeper Logan Rohde picked up the victory for the Spartans as he played all 105:14 in goal, making seven saves in the shutout, including a handful of pivotal saves in the first half that put the Spartans in position for the win.
UNCG opens the home portion of its schedule Monday against UNCW at 7 p.m. at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.
Wofford 3, Gardner-Webb 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Senior midfielder Nestor Jaramillo opened the 2015 men's soccer season with a record-breaking goal in the 30th minute as the Terriers won their opener against Gardner-Webb 3-0 Friday night at Snyder Field.
Sophomore midfielder Robin Hupin fed Jaramillo a pass to the left side of the box, and with two touches to his right, Jaramillo ripped a shot off Bulldog keeper Matthew Swan's hand into the back right corner of the net for the goal to move past former teammate Carlos Dominguez-Gonzalez in the Wofford record books as the Terriers' Division I career points record-holder with 50 points.
Senior midfielder Will Puckett tallied the second Wofford goal in the 43rd minute with a screaming liner from the top right of the box into the left corner of the net. Terrier defender Connor Donohue added the third goal for Wofford, his first of his collegiate career.
The Terriers (1-0-0) take the field again Sunday, as the team travels to Rock Hill, S.C., to take on the Winthrop Eagles at 7 p.m.
No. 8 Clemson 3, ETSU 1
CLEMSON, S.C. – No. 8 Clemson topped ETSU 3-1 in the season opener for both teams Friday at Historic Riggs Field. ETSU led 1-0 at the half but faltered in the second half by allowing three goals within 19 minutes. Junior Joao Ramalho led the attack for ETSU with a goal, and freshman Jonny Sutherland gave the Bucs a fighting chance with eight saves on the night.
The Bucs got on the board when sophomore Corentin Ohlmann found a hole in the Clemson defense and led Ramlho with a low volley 10 yards away from the net. Ramalho knocked his first goal of the season in the lower right corner of the net.
The Tigers’ first goal came in the 70th minute with a shot that found the lower left-hand corner. Ten minutes later, Clemson attacker Iman Mafi found the lower left-hand corner for an unassisted goal. CU planted the dagger in the 87th minute that came off a save from Sutherland. The ball found Oliver Shannon for the wide-open goal.
The Bucs will return home to face off against High Point University on Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. at Summers-Taylor Stadium.
South Carolina 2, Mercer 1
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Mercer University men's soccer team fell short of completing a late rally, dropping a 2-1 decision to South Carolina on Friday evening at Stone Stadium.
South Carolina’s Ben Davidson scored at the 17-minute mark and Jeffrey Torda doubled the lead in the 55th minute. Mercer’s Emmet Johnson got the Bears on the board in the 83rd minute.
Junior Jeremy Booth made his Mercer debut, playing all 90 minutes in goal for the Bears. He finished with two saves while surrendering a pair of first half goals.
The Bears continue their tour of the state of South Carolina, travelling to Clemson for a 6 p.m. kickoff on Sunday, Aug. 30.
NC State 2, Furman 1 (OT)
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – NC State’s Zach Knudson converted from the penalty spot just 33 seconds into overtime to lift the Wolfpack to a 2-1 victory over Furman in the season opener for both teams on Friday at the Nike/Aaron Olitsky Memorial Classic at the College of Charleston’s Patriots Point Athletics Complex.
The Wolfpack pressed forward with the opening kickoff of overtime and played a combination at the top of the box that took a deflection off the hand of a Paladin defender. The referee awarded the penalty kick, which Knudson finished for the golden goal.
NC State outshot the Paladins 4-1 in the first half and jumped in front 1-0 in the 47th minute when Cameron Steele scored on an assist by Julius Duchscherer off of a Wolfpack corner kick.
Furman, which compiled a dominating 13-2 edge in shots in the second half, equalized less than eight minutes later. Freshman Aigbekan Nosegbe fired a shot that rebounded into the path of Eli Pinner and the midfielder fired past Wolfpack keeper Alex McCauley to knot the match at 1-1 at 54:02.
The Paladins cap play in the Nike/Aaron Olitsky Memorial Classic on Sunday when they face the Seton Hall Pirates at 12 p.m.
Longwood 4, VMI 1
FARMVILLE, Va. – Despite a late goal to cut the Longwood lead to 2-1 with 10 minutes remaining, the VMI men’s soccer team came up short as the Lancers scored two insurance goals in the final moments for a 4-1 victory Friday night.
For the VMI goal, Keydet Alex Hartman took advantage of a defensive slip by the Lancers, stole an errant pass and shot it at keeper Carl Carpenter. The ball deflected to VMI’s Todd Johnson, who put it into the net for the Keydets’ lone score for the night.
After a slow opening half, Longwood got on the board following a corner kick when Finnlay Wyatt sent it to freshman Willy Miezan, who knocked it into the near post at the 37:50 mark. The score put the Lancers up by a 1-0 score with seven minutes before the half.
Ten minutes into the second half, Longwood’s Zach Crandall took on two Keydet defenders and shot an unassisted goal into the far back post to put the Lancers up 2-0.
Within three minutes of the VMI score, Miezan took to the offensive and scored two quick goals to earn a hat trick on the night and put Longwood up for good with seven minutes left in regulation. His second goal of the night (81:44) came after a cross from Zach Corcoran before scoring again one minute later (82:47) on an unassisted breakaway.
VMI returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 5, at High Point University in High Point, North Carolina. The opening kick is slated for a 7 p.m. start.