Key contests took place on Friday night from coast to coast as teams start to settle in on the defensive side of the ball and begin to gel on the offensive side of the ball.
Virginia 2 – Duke 2 (ot) – Both teams attacked in this one with Duke holding a 21-19 edge in shots and a 14-4 advantage in corner kicks. Duke drew first blood when Markus Fjortoft converted a header out of a corner kick served in by Ryan Thompson in the twenty-second minute of the match. The teams went into intermission with Duke up 1-0. Redshirt sophomore Pablo Aguilar knotted the score at 1-1 when he controlled the rebound of teammate Riggs Lennon's shot and placed it inside the near post just forty-six seconds into the second stanza. Sophomore midfielder Jake Rozhansky collected a Blue Devil turnover and used his left foot to drive a textbook like shot just inside the far post six minutes later to give Virginia a 2-1 advantage and what felt at the time like a ton of momentum. Duke proved that they are a team to be taken seriously this year when sophomore forward Jeremy Ebobisse skillfully one-timed the rebound of defender Jared Rist's attempted header out of a corner kick and placed it into the top right corner of the net from ten yards out to even the score at 2-2. The goal was Ebobisse's team leading fifth of the season. Both teams had opportunities but neither was able to finish them for the remainder of what proved to be a very exciting college soccer contest. Duke improves to 4-0-1 and is off to their best start since the 2006 campaign. Virginia is 2-0-2 to date.
Stanford 1 – San Jose State 0 (Thursday) – Foster Langsdorf scored the lone goal of the contest in the thirty-third minute of the match going to the far post from six yards out after receiving a through ball from Corey Baird. Andrew Epstein had two saves in goal for Stanford. The Cardinal recorded their fourth consecutive shutout and improve to 4-0-1. San Jose State drops to 1-2-0. Stanford now travels to Dallas to tangle with what appears to be an improved SMU team.
Brown 2 – Providence 1 (ot) – Reality so to speak came to Providence in the form of crosstown rival Brown as a very good Providence team sustained its first loss of the 2015 season to drop to 3-1-1. Brown under the direction of head coach Pat Laughlin came to play and as a result upped their record to 2-0-0. The contest was scoreless at the end of the first half of play. Brown got on the board in the second minute of the second half with an own goal when Nico Lozada's intended pass to teammate Louis Zingas deflected off a Providence defender and into the back of the net. Providence responded in the fifty-sixth minute of play when junior forward Mac Steeves netted his fifth goal of the season from inside the box after receiving a pass from junior Julian Gressel. The contest remained tied 1-1 at the end of regulation. Freshman midfielder Jack Hagstrom came up big for the Bears in overtime when he scored from around ten yards out in the ninety-seventh minute of play after receiving a short pass from senior forward Will Cross coming out of a throw-in. Brown will host Holy Cross on Sunday. Providence will seek to get back in the win column when they host Columbia on Sunday at Ray Treacy Track.
North Carolina 2 – Virginia Tech 0 – An opportunistic Tar Heel squad picked up an always significant ACC road win behind goals from senior midfielder Raby George and junior forward Tucker Hume. George scored out of a corner kick in the thirty-eighth minute of play when he controlled a ball that was initially cleared by the Tech defense and sent it into the back of the frame. Hume netted the insurance goal for UNC about four minutes later when he intercepted an attempted clearance and slotted it into the back of the net from the top of the box. Neither team scored during the second half of play. James Pyle had three saves in goal for the Tar Heels who improve to 4-0-1. Virginia Tech drops to 2-2-0.
Oregon State 3 – Duquesne 2 – Oregon State got on the board in the twenty-seventh minute when Jordan Jones kept his focus and alertly drove the rebound of his own missed shot back into the goal from close range. Duquesne responded with a Colin Phillips goal off an assist from Noah Mehta a little over a minute later to knot the score at 1-1. Jones scored his second goal of the evening in the 50th minute of play after receiving a drop pass from teammate Don Tchilao to give Oregon State a 2-1 advantage. Once again Duquesne responded in the fifty-eighth minute when Phillips chipped a shot into the back of the frame from twenty-seven yards out to net his second score of the evening and to knot it up again at 2-2. This one looked like it might be headed into overtime but in the 89th minute Oregon State was awarded a penalty kick when it was determined that Timmy Mueller was fouled inside the box. Duquesne goalkeeper Sam Frymier saved Mueller's penalty kick attempt but Mueller controlled the missed attempt and sent it into the back of the net to give the Beavers the edge they needed to secure a hard fought win over a game Duquesne team. Oregon State improves to 4-0-0 and will face Cornell on Sunday. Duquesne drops to 1-2-0 and will tangle with Cleveland State on Sunday.
Akron 3- Saint Louis 2 – After upsetting Maryland 3-2 on Monday, the Zips returned home and picked up another resume building win and showed a lot of grit when they recovered from a two goal deficit to top Saint Louis 3-2 on Friday evening. This one was played under adverse rainy conditions. Saint Louis came out firing and took a 1-0 advantage in the third minute of play compliments of a goal from Anthony Brown goal. The Billikens made it 2-0 in the seventh minute of the match when Filip Pavisic recovered a deflection of his own shot and sent it into the back of the net. A two goal lead is thought to be the most dangerous to hold in soccer and that proved to be the case in this contest. The only good news about the early lead for Akron was that they had plenty of time to get back into the game and they did just that when redshirt freshman Sam Gainford scored from inside the box after receiving a pass from sophomore Richie Laryea in the thirty-ninth minute to close the gap to 2-1. The contest remained 2-1 at halftime. To the delight of the home crowd, Akron's Adam Najem netted the equalizer out of a free kick just outside the box to knot the score at 2-2 in the fifty-third minute of the match. Gainford again came up big for the Zips when he scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the seventy-first minute of play after receiving a through ball from Richie Laryea. Akron improves to 4-1-0 while a very good Saint Louis side sustains their first loss of the season to drop to 2-1-0.
Old Dominion 4 – Jacksonville 0 – Senior Ivan Militar placed a shot into the lower right corner of the net in the twelfth minute of play after receiving a through ball from Ryan Condotta to start the scoring. The teams went into halftime with ODU up 1-0. The Monarchs took control in the second stanza with Condotta converting a penalty kick in the fifty-ninth minute to make it 2-0. Midfielder Jesse Miralrio made it 3-0 when he chipped a shot into the back of the frame after receiving a long pass from freshman defender Sebastian Joly. Freshman midfielder Niko Klosterhalfen added the fourth score in the eighty-first minute off an assist from Geoffrey HIll. ODU improves to 3-1-0. Jacksonville drops to 2-1-1. ODU will face Harford on Sunday while Jacksonville will seek to rebound against an always tough VCU team.
VCU 2 – Hartford 0 – The crowd on hand had barely settled into their seats at SportsBackers Stadium in Richmond, Virginia when sophomore midfielder Rafael Andrade-Santos scored in the second minute of the contest to give VCU the early lead. In the eighty-sixth minute of play, junior forward Jorge Herranz made a nice move with the ball and slotted a shot into the back of the net to net the insurance goal for the Black and Gold. Sophomore Pierre Gardan had three saves in goal to record the shutout for VCU. VCU picks up its first win of the season to stand at 1-4-0. Hartford is 1-1-2.
Syracuse 1 – Louisville 1 (ot) – A crowd of 2,237 was present to witness this "no prisoners will be taken" ACC contest in which all things considered a draw was probably a fitting outcome. The Orange took the early lead when junior Oyvind Alseth placed a shot just inside the right post after combining with a text book give and go with teammate Julian Buescher. Louisville tied it at 1-1 in the forty-fourth minute of play when junior Daniel Johnson alertly recovered a deflection out of a corner kick and directed it into the left corner of the goal. That concluded the scoring for the evening. Both teams are 3-1-1 on the season.
Xavier 2 – Cincinnati 1 – This crosstown rivalry is always spirited. Senior midfielder Alex Ridsdale made a nice move off the dribble and sent a low drive into the left side of the net with an assist from Cory Brown to give Xavier a 1-0 advantage in the seventeenth minute of the match. The teams went into intermission with Xavier clinging to a 1-0 lead. Ian Vicars made it 2-0 Xavier in the sixty-ninth minute when he scored from twelve yards out after receiving a pass from junior forward Jalen Brown. Cincinnati continued to press and got on the scoreboard in the seventy-fifth minute when forward Alejandro Garcia converted a header after receiving a well played cross from teammate midfielder Emmanuel Appiah. The Musketeers get back in the win column and improve to 3-2-0. Xavier has a resume and credibility building contest coming up when they travel to South Bend to tangle with Notre Dame next Tuesday. Cincinnati drops to 2-3-0.
American 2 – Hofstra 0 – This one was a match up between two undefeated teams. American came out on top behind a two-goal evening from Joel Hart. Hart's first goal came just seven minutes into the contest when he scored from inside the box after receiving a pass from Jordan Manley. Hart's second goal was a one-timer into the top corner of the frame that was set up by a pass from Liam Robley. Dylan Hobert had eight saves in goal to notch the shutout for American. Patric Pray had five saves in goal for the Pride. American will seek to keep their win streak alive when they host Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday. Hofstra will seek to get back into the win column on Sunday when they tangle with George Mason. American improves to 5-0-0. Hofstra drops to 4-1-0.
Loyola Marymount 3 – CSU Bakersfield 2 – Alvaro Madrigal scored out of a free kick to give LMU a 1-0 lead. James Tanaka scored from ten yards out in the thirty-ninth minute with a double assist from Maurice Morton and John Bovill to make it 2-0. CSU Bakersfield made things interesting when Simon Doherty scored from eight yards out less than a minute into the second half to close the gap to 2-1. Miles Chow scored for LMU in the seventy-fifth minute of play from five yards out with a double assist from Cruz Corral and Adrien Perez to make it 3-1 and give the Lions a little breathing room. Christian Duarte converted a penalty kick for CSUB in the eighty-seventh minute to make it 3-2. LMU remains undefeated at 5-0-0 and will face a solid New Mexico team on Sunday at Sullivan Field in what shapes up to be a dandy early season college soccer contest. Richie Grants CSUB Roadrunners travel to Northridge, California to face CSUN on Sunday night.
Bowling Green 3 – Evansville 1 – Pat Flynn scored two goals and contributed a helper as Bowling Green is off to a 5-0-0 start for the first time since the 1987 campaign. Senior midfielder Ryan James netted the first Bowling Green goal in the thirty-first minute of play. Flynn then added the next two scores for the Falcons with the first coming in the fortieth minute and the second a header in the fifty-second minute of the contest. Ryan James and Jake Martin assisted on Flynn's first score and Jacob Roth and Ryan assisted on Flynn's second goal of the evening. Ian McGrath converted a header out of a free kick in the eighty-third minute of the match for Evansville's lone score of the evening.
New Mexico 1 – CSUN 0 (ot) – This one was all defense but a win is a win as New Mexico's redshirt junior Chris Wehan converted a penalty kick in the ninety-fifth minute to give the Lobos the edge they needed to come away with a hard fought victory on the road against a determined CSUN team. New Mexico gained an advantage when CSUN had to play a man down in overtime due to the receipt of a double yellow. New Mexico improves to 2-1-1. CSUN drops to 1-3-0.
California 2 – UC Davis 1 – All the scoring in this one took place in the second half. Redshirt sophomore Matt Chasman made a nice run and was at the right place at the right time to score for the Golden Bears in the seventy-third minute of play at close range after receiving a pass from senior defender Ugo Rebecchini. Freshman midfielder Shinya Kadono then netted what proved to be the game-winning goal for California in the eighty-first minute when he skillfully controlled a ball off his chest and drove it into the goal with a double assist from Paul Salcedo and Jose Carreara-Garcia. To their credit UC Davis continued to push and senior Matt Wiesenfarth scored unassisted in the eighty-eighth minute of play but it was too little to late. California improves to 3-1-0. UC Davis out of the Big West Conference drops to 1-4-0.
FGCU 3 – Princeton 2 – Freshman Preston Kilwien came up big for FGCU when he blasted a left-footed shot from thirty-five yards out into the upper-corner of the frame in the eighty-ninth minute after receiving a pass from senior Rodrigo Saravia to give the Eagles a solid win over Princeton. Dylan Sacramento also scored twice for the FGCU. Nico Hurtado and Josh Miller scored the goals for Princeton. FGCU picks up its first win of the 2015 campaign to improve to 1-1-0. Princeton also stands at 1-1-0.
Charlotte 3 – Winthrop 2 – This one at Transamerica Field in Charlotte featured plenty of goal scoring. Brandt Bronico, Harrison Steadman and Kyle Parker scored to give Charlotte a come from behind win over Winthrop. Jordi Lluch netted a penalty kick to give Winthrop the early lead in the forty-second minute of play. Bronico scored out of a free kick from twenty-five yards out in the fifty-first minute to knot it at 1-1. Stedman made it 2-1 Forty-Niners when he scored from ten yards out with Bronico providing the assist. Parker made it 3-1 Charlotte when he converted a header after receiving a cross from teammate David Mayer in the fifty-fifth minute. Max Hasenstab tallied the final goal of the evening when he scored for Winthrop in the sixty-first minute. The 49ers improve to 2-2-0 while a Winthrop team that is better than its record indicates drops to 1-4-0.
Cal Poly 1 – Air Force 0 – Cal Poly improves to 3-0-0 with senior midfielder Chase Minter giving the Mustangs the edge they needed to secure the victory when he placed a volley into the back of the net from fifteen yards out in the twenty-six minute of play at Alex G Spanos Stadium. Wade Hamilton had six saves in goal for Cal Poly. John Wendt had four saves in goal for Air Force. Air Force held a 16 to 10 advantage in shots. The Falcons are now to 2-2-0.
Northern Illinois 1 – Florida Atlantic 0 – Sophomore Luke Read's header to the back post out of a corner kick in the eighty-second minute of play proved to be the difference in this one at the NIU adidas Invitational at the NIU Soccer Complex. Credit Nicolas Wandl with an assist on goal. NIU improves to 2-1-0. FAU drops to 0-3-1.
Utah Valley 4 – Bradley 1 – The Wolverines thump Bradley 4-1 to improve to 5-0-0 before a record home crowd of 3,452. Sophomore Austin Buxton came off the bench to lead the way with two goals while Karson Payton and Skyler Milne each contributed a goal for the Wolverines. Bradley's lone goal was a header by Jacob Taylor with an assist from Frank Bak out of a free kick. Utah Valley out of the WAC will tangle with Mercer on Sunday. Bradley will face UNLV.
UC Irvine 1 – San Diego 1 (ot) – All the scoring in this one took place in the first ten minutes of regulation. This one was physical with a total of thirty fouls and twelve cards. Both teams completed the contest with only ten players on the pitch. The Anteaters took advantage of a defensive miscue by the Toreros with Ivan Canales Canales chipping a shot into the back of the goal to take a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute of play. San Diego responded four minutes later when Keegan Smith convereted a header out of a corner kick to knot the score at 1-1. Thomas Olsen had four saves in goal for San Diego. Michael Breslin had five saves in goal for UC Irvine. San Diego is 2-1-2. UC Irvine is 1-2-1.
