The pace continues to heat up as teams coast to coast seek to enhance their standing with resume building wins. It is not to late for teams to rally and turn their seasons around. Depth is a factor as the season progresses.
Wake Forest 5 – William and Mary 0 – This one was all Wake Forest from the get-go. Bruno Lapa converted a penalty kick in the twenty-second minute to start the scoring. Calvin Harris and Kyle Holcomb added goals in the first half with Aristotle Zarris contributing the helper on both goals. The Demon Deacons added two more goals in the seventy-third minute. Nico Benalcazar scored out of a corner kick served in by Omar Hernandez and Kyle Holcomb threaded a shot inside the near post after receiving a cross from Lapa to conclude the scoring for the evening.
Wake Forest improves to 11-2-0 while William and Mary drops to 4-6-2.
Georgia State 1 – Charlotte 0 – This one took place at TransAmerica Field in Charlotte. The 49ers had a twenty-three to four advantage in shots but Georgia State had the upper hand in the only statistic that mattered with sophomore forward Matthew Fearnley netting the lone goal of the contest in the twenty-sixth minute when he sent a bender into the upper left-hand corner of the goal from just outside the box.
Charlotte head coach Kevin Langan pretty much summed things up from Charlotte's perspective when he stated, "It's kind of a weird feeling because we played so well. We absolutely dominated the game from start to finish. We outshot them 23-4, we hit the crossbar, had balls hit off the line. We absolutely battered them and we lose the game; that's soccer."
Georgia State head coach Brett Surrency stated, "I'm proud of the guys tonight and their ability to bounce back after the disappointment of Saturday (a 2-1 loss to Georgia Southern). They truly had to compete and grind with everything they had tonight and I'm very pleased for them."
Charlotte sustains its first loss of the season to drop to 8-1-3. The 49ers have a big CUSA contest on Friday when they travel to Miami to face FIU. Georgia State halted a two game losing streak to improve to 7-2-3.
Virginia 1 – James Madison 0 – This contest between number one ranked Virginia and number nineteen ranked James Madison took place at Klockner Stadium in Charlottesville. It looked like this one might be scoreless until Virginia's junior forward Irakoze Donasiyano decided otherwise when he controlled a loose ball and drove it into the top left shelf of the goal from thirty-five yards out to give the Cavaliers the edge they needed to secure the win.
Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch stated, "What a way to win the game on a spectacular goal like that. It was a good game and JMU is a very good team. That's the same team that beat a couple of ACC teams in the NCAA Tournament last year and the same team that beat Wake Forest this year when they were number one. They are an ACC quality opponent with that group."
James Madison mentor Paul Zazenski stated, "Tonight was a tough result against a team that has yet to be beaten. Our guys battled all night and had opportunities that just didn't fall. UVA scored a great goal and sometimes you just have to tip your hat. Proud of our group on the night despite the outcome."
Colin Shutler had five saves in goal for Virginia to record his tenth clean sheet of the season. T. J. Bush had three saves in goal for James Madison.
Virginia improves to 11-0-1 and moves forward to host a tenacious Pitt team on Friday. A determined James Madison team drops to 9-4-1 and returns to Harrisonburg with a tough CAA contest on tap Saturday when they host UNCW at Sentara Park.
UNCW 0 – Coastal Carolina 0 (ot) – This non-conference contest took place in Wilmington, North Carolina. Both of these teams have historically had productive attacks but neither could manage to break the code on their opponents defense in this scoreless battle. UNCW had an eight to seven advantage in shots including a twelve to six advantage in corner kicks. Coastal Carolina has not scored in their last five contests and has managed a total of only eleven goals to date.
UNCW is 7-4-2 and now travels to face James Madison in a CAA contest on Saturday.
Coastal Carolina is 4-6-2 and will travel to Boone, North Carolina to face Appalachian State on Saturday in Sun Belt play.
Yale 1 – Massachusetts 0 (ot) – Kylie Stannard's Yale team has now won eight straight after opening the season with a 1-1 tie with Syracuse and a 2-2 tie with Colgate. Senior midfielder Miguel Yuste came up big once again for Yale with two minutes remaining in the first overtime period when he utilized his left foot to drive a shot from twenty yards out that deflected off a Massachusetts defender and found its way into the right side of the frame. Ryan Matteo and Jake Schaffer were credited with a double assist on Yuste's difference making goal.
Both sides had goals disallowed due to offside calls.
Stannard stated, "I'm really proud of the guys for finding a way to win a really tough match." He added, "UMass is much better than their record and has competed closely with everyone they've played. We knew this was going to be a battle, and it certainly was."
Elian Haddock had two saves in goal for Yale to post the shutout. Marvyn Dorchin had five saves between the pipes for UMass.
Yale improves to 8-0-2 but has a challenging Ivy League contest on their dance card when they host a very good Cornell team on Friday. The Bulldogs will need to put together two strong halves of play in that one if they hope to keep their win streak alive. Massachusetts has now lost eight straight contests to drop to 4-9-0. The Minutemen will seek to get back into the win column when they travel to Pittsburgh to tangle with Duquesne in an Atlantic 10 match on Saturday.
Marshall 4 – Loyola Marymount 1 – The Thundering Herd traveled to the west coast and secured an impressive win over a good LMU team in a somewhat physical contest.
Marshall took control early in the contest when Pedro Dolabella sent a header into the back of the net in the nineteenth minute that was served in by Jonas Westmeyer. Jamil Roberts made it 2-0 Marshall when he scored in the twenty-second minute with a double assist from Milo Yosef and Dolabella. The Herd continued to roll with Yosef scoring in the twenty-fifth minute after receiving a pass from Roberts to stretch the lead to 3-0. Gaetan Roux pulled one back for LMU when he converted a penalty kick in the sixty-fourth minute to make it 3-1. Yosef added the final score of the evening for Marshall when he scored in the eighty-fourth minute to make it 4-1.
Marshall head coach chris Grassie stated, "It was a really crazy match. A definite game of two halves. We dominated the first half with three goals. Then in the second half, the match became very physical and there were a lot of heavy challenges and restarts we had to deal with. LMU moves the ball well and we had to respond."
Paulo Pita had three saves in goal for Marshall. Jacob Jackson also had a three save evening in goal for LMU.
Marshall ups their record to 9-1-2 and remains on the west coast where they will tangle with San Diego State out of the Pac-12 on Friday in what could prove to be a difficult matchup for the Herd. LMU drops to 6-4-3 and will host Portland in a crucial West Coast Conference game on Saturday.
Rutgers 2 – Hartford 2 (ot) – This one was a tale of two halves with Hartford getting the best of it in the first stanza and Rutgers the second. Both teams initially had trouble settling into a rhythm but that changed in Hartford's favor in the thirty-fourth minute when sophomore midfielder Tomer Drimmer sent a bullet into the left corner after receiving a cross from Jovante Etienne to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. The two teams went into intermission with Harford up 1-0. The Hawks came out of gate strong in the second half with a Connor Aksoz goal set up by a cross from Etienne to make it 2-0. The second goal appeared to be a wakeup call of sorts for Rutgers with Pablo Avila scoring in the forty-seventh minute for Rutgers and Jackson Temple in the sixty-seventy minute with an assist from Anthony O'Donnell to knot the score at 2-2 and conclude the scoring for the evening.
Hartford extended their unbeaten streak to eleven games and is now 7-2-4. The Hawks will host Vermont on Saturday in what shapes up to be a challenging America East contest. Rutgers is 7-3-3 and will travel to face Northwestern on Sunday in a Big Ten Conference contest that both teams need to win in order to get back on track. Rutgers and Northwestern are both 1-3-1 in conference play.
NC State 0 – South Carolina 0 (ot) – This one took place at Stone Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. The visiting Wolfpack had a fifteen to five advantage in shots over the Gamecocks but after 110 minute of play the score remained 0 to 0. Both teams had opportunities to score but defense ruled in this non-conference match. Vinnie Durand had one save in goal for NC State. Nick Brady had six saves between the pipes for South Carolina.
South Carolina head coach Mark Berson stated, "It was a tough, gritty effort for our guys. The guys were well organized, had a good plan and they stuck to it. We had a couple decent chances. Obviously, they're a good team and they got their chances. But I think this gives a lot to build on going forward as we head into a big conference match this weekend."
NC State is 7-3-2 and will tangle with Duke in Durham on Friday in an ACC match. South Carolina is now 5-6-2 and will host FAU on Sunday in a CUSA game.
Elon 3 – Duke 2 – Duke's Daniele Proch scored out of a counter attack in the sixty-fifth minute and sent a volley into the net in the eighty-third minute but it was not enough to top a determined Elon side that gained momentum and confidence when Burl Shepherd created a turnover and sent a blast into the left corner of the frame from inside the box in the thirty-ninth minute of play to go up 1-0.
Elon went into halftime with a 1-0 lead. Proch then scored for Duke to tie it at 1-1. Inigo Bronte responded for Elon when he converted a penalty kick in the seventy-fifth minute of the match to regain the lead at 2-1. Proch then scored for Duke to knot the match at 2-2.
It looked like this one was going to go into overtime until freshman midfielder Vemund Hole Vik made an athletic move to flick a ball served in out of a free kick by teammate Kasper Lehm into the net with two minutes remaining in regulation to give Elon a huge and surprising 3-2 win.
Peter Wentzel had two saves in goal for Elon. Will Pulisic had a five save evening in goal for the Blue Devils.
Elon improves to 5-7-1 and will host Northeastern in CAA play on Saturday. Duke drops to 6-5-1 and will seek to reorganize and halt a two game losing streak when they host a very good NC State team on Friday in an ACC contest.
Penn State 3 – Pittsburgh 1 – Penn State gains momentum with a solid win over a very competitive Pitt team. Pitt pressed the attack in the early going but was unable to penetrate the Penn State defense. The momentum shifted to the Nittany Lions when Callum Pritchatt was fouled in the box and senior midfielder Aaron Molloy converted a penalty kick in the thirty-seventh minute. The score remained 1-0 at halftime. Penn State took charge with Liam Butts and Jalen Watson scoring within a two and a half minute span at the start of the second half. Bryce Washington netted the lone goal for Pitt with an assist from Veljko Petkovic in the eighty-fourth minute.
Penn State coach Jeff Cook stated, "This is an important victory for us this season. I'm impressed with how the players handled themselves. Pitt's an outstanding program in the ACC so we knew this game had a lot of meaning in terms of not only the in-state rivalry but also postseason implications."
The Nittany Lions improve to 7-2-2 and will travel to face Wisconsin on Saturday in a Big Ten Conference game. Pitt is now 6-5-2. Things don't get any easy for the Panthers who travel to Charlottesville on Friday to take on number one ranked Virginia in ACC play.
Louisville 1 – Northern Kentucky 0 (ot) – This one was much closer than expected and was scoreless at the end of regulation. Emil Elveroth scored the game-winner for Louisville in overtime when he sent the rebound of teammate Izaiah Jennings' missed shot into the bottom left corner of the net. Louisville pressed the attack and controlled the run of play for most of the game with a twenty to four advantage in shots for the evening. Jake Gelnovatch had one save in goal for Louisville. Baj Maan had nine saves for Northern Kentucky.
Northern Kentucky head coach Stu Riddle stated, "I couldn't have asked for anything more from the lads tonight. They battled hard and gave absolutely everything they had and were minutes away from a credible result."
Louisville improves to 6-4-2 and will host Boston College on Friday in a key ACC matchup. Northern Kentucky is now 4-7-1 and will host Green Bay in a Horizon League game on Saturday.
South Florida 4 – Jacksonville 1 – It was clear early on that this one was going to be dominated by South Florida. Senior defender Jonathan Rosales' goal in the twelfth minute gave South Florida a 1-0 lead that they took into halftime. Avoinne Flanagan, Henrique Gallina, and Ignasi Lupon Fores scored for the Bulls in the second half. Reggie Nicolas netted the lone goal for Jacksonville in the eighty-first minute.
South Florida head coach Bob Butehorn stated, Overall. I'm really pleased with the guys' performance and how they came together, started fast, put them under pressure and scored great goals. So for me it was a good day all around for these guys."
South Florida improves to 8-3-0 and now travels to tangle with Temple in Philadelphia in an AAC contest. Jacksonville fell to 4-5-2 and does not return to the pitch until Wednesday. October 23 when they take on South Carolina in Columbia.
Saint Louis 1 – Denver 0 – Sophomore midfielder John Klein's goal in the fifty-eighth minute proved to be the difference in this one. Kobe Gray had two saves between the pipes for Denver. Patrick Schulte continues to take care of business for Saint Louis between the pipes with a three save evening in goal.
Saint Louis extends its winning streak to six contests to improve to 9-3-0. The Billikens will host Dayton on Saturday in an important Atlantic 10 contest. Denver drops to 2-8-2 and will face another difficult team when they travel to take on Oral Roberts on Saturday.
Loyola Chicago 3 – UIC 1 – The Ramblers gain momentum with a solid win over a good UIC team. Aidan Megally converted a penalty kick in the twelfth minute to give Loyola Chicago an early 1-0 advantage. Abdulwahab Bukola got UIC back into the mix when he tied it at 1-1 six minutes later when he controlled a deflection at the top of the box and decisively deposited it inside the far post. Billy Hency responded for Loyola Chicago when he converted a header out of a corner kick in the twenty-third minute to give the Ramblers a 2-1 lead that they took into intermission. Fabian Becera iced the game for the Ramblers in the sixty-third minute when he found the back of the net from eight yards out to conclude the scoring for the evening.
Loyola Chicago head coach Neil Jones stated, "It's always a goal of ours every single season to be the best team in Chicago. There's three other very good teams here in this city that we always battle with in many ways. I'm very pleased with the performance tonight, just very proud of the guys. I thought it was a great team effort both offensively and defensively."
The Ramblers win their fourth consecutive contest to up their record to 8-3-1. Their next match is on Wednesday, October 23 when they travel to Peoria to face Bradley in a key MVC game. The Flames are now 9-4-0 with Oakland on their upcoming dance card in a Horizon League contest on tape for Saturday.
Princeton 3 – Lehigh 0 – Lehigh fell behind early and could never get into a rhythm on the offensive side of the ball. Frankie DeRosa and Danny Hampton scored for Princeton in the first half. Daniel Diaz Bonilla scored via a deflection in the second half to make it 3-0 Princeton. Princeton junior goalkeeper Jack Roberts had four saves including a stop of a penalty kick in route to recording the shutout.
Princeton improves to 7-3-1 and will host Columbia in Ancient Eight play on Saturday. Lehigh falls to 8-4-1 and will seek to regain their rhythm and grit when they travel to face a talented and tough Navy squad on Saturday in a key Patriot League matchup.
Akron 2 – Michigan State 0 – Freshman Will Jackson redirected the rebound of his own missed shot back into the goal to get Akron on the board in the thirty-eighth minute. David Egbo sent a bullet into the upper right corner from thirty yards out in the fifty-seventh minute to seal the win. Joe Bowles had one save in goal for Akron. Hunter Morse had three saves in a losing effort for Michigan State.
Can Akron get back on track in MAC play? The Zips are 3-8-1 overall and will seek to gain traction and new life in MAC play when they travel to take on a good Western Michigan team on Sunday . Michigan State is 2-7-3 and will next host Ohio State on Saturday in Big Ten Conference action.
