ETSU 1, Liberty 0
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The ETSU Bucs (3-2-1) finished their nonconference schedule with a 1-0 victory over the Liberty Flames (4-4) on Tuesday. ETSU scored the only goal off a James Smith penalty kick in the 80th minute.
Smith was able to get ETSU on the board after being fouled in the box. He was tangled up after some aggressive defense from Liberty. Smith kicked the ball to the right, and the Flame goalie went left for the 1-0 lead in the Bucs’ favor.
The game was back and forth throughout the entire match. The first half had several chances for both teams to score.
The best chance for ETSU to get ahead in the first half came at the 23rd minute. Luke Parker went streaking down the field on the counterattack. Parker found Joao Ramalho with a 30-yard lead pass, and Ramalho ran past the Flame defense and took a shot that hit the right post. Liberty was able to get the ball away before ETSU could get another shot off.
Another chance came three minutes later when he Bucs had multiple attackers in the box in the 26th minute but couldn’t score. Smith took his second shot of the night, but it hit the post. Just five seconds later, Fletcher Ekern attempted a shot, but it sailed high.
The first shot of the second half came from the Flames when Sachem Wilson was able to get away from the ETSU defense and put a shot on goal. Goalkeeper Jonny Sutherland made a miraculous diving save that kept the game at a 0-0 match.
Sutherland posted two saves in the match, and both of the shots on goal for LU were strong attempts to either take the lead or tie the match.
ETSU will open conference play on Sept. 29 in Spartanburg, S.C. The Bucs will square off against the 5-1-1 Wofford Terriers. Wofford had the best record in the Southern Conference so far this season.
Wofford 1, Charlotte 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford men’s soccer team gutted out a hard-fought victory over Charlotte 1-0 Tuesday night at Snyder Field.
Senior midfielder Will Puckett provided the game-winning goal for the Terriers in the 68th minute. He received the ball beyond the box on the right side and took two touches forward past a 49er defender before blasting home the goal past keeper Austin Pack.
The goal was the third of the season for Puckett, tying him for the team lead with fellow midfielder Nestor Jaramillo and forward Matthew Aurednik.
The match turned out to be a true measure of toughness, as both teams were aggressive early on. The two squads combined for 18 fouls in the first half alone, finishing the match with 30 total.
Charlotte had their chances late in the match to equalize but could not convert on their opportunities to score. Two late corner kick attempts for the 49ers looked promising, but each time the Terrier defense was able to send the ball away.
Charlotte outshot the Terriers in the match 16-10 but Wofford took four corners compared to Charlotte’s three corners.
Terrier goalkeeper Garrett Closs earned the victory, playing up until Puckett’s game-winning goal while making two saves. Joe Wichmann subbed in for Closs after the goal and made one save in 22 minutes of action. Pack takes the loss UNC Charlotte, playing all 90 minutes while racking up two saves.
With the win, the Terriers have extended their home unbeaten streak to 11 straight games, dating back to the 2013 season.
The Terriers (5-1-1) wrapped up nonconference play with the victory, their lone loss at the hands of NC State in their previous game. The team opens SoCon play at home Sept. 29 when the Terriers host ETSU at Snyder Field. That match is set to kick off at 7:15 p.m.
James Madison 2, VMI 0
HARRISONBURG, Va. – Competing in one of its final nonconference games of the season, the VMI men's soccer team dropped a 2-0 decision to James Madison on Tuesday night at University.
The teams traded attacks through the early part of the match before the Dukes' Thomas Shores took a cross in the middle of the box and got it past VMI keeper Alex Guerra into the lower left corner of the goal to put JMU up 1-0 at the 23:34 mark of the first half.
Shortly after halftime, the Dukes struck again after a shot deflected 20 feet into the air off of Guerra and to the feet of Callum Hill, who tapped it in from three feet for an insurance goal at the 49:56 mark.
The Keydets nearly found the net on multiple occasions, including a free kick attempt from David Harpen that required a diving save from JMU goalie Kyle Morton before it reached the lower right corner.
Guerra finished the game with seven saves in a complete match while Morton logged the one save from Harpen's shot.
VMI returns to action Saturday to open Southern Conference play with a matchup against Furman. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start at Patchin Field.