Davidson Falls to Elon, 2-0, in Mid-Week SoCon Action

Wednesday, October 15

Davidson, N.C.

7:00 p.m.

Davidson College Athletics

2-10-1, 1-3-0SoCon

Elon

6-7-1, 5-0-0SoCon

Team	1	2	Final F
Elon	1	1	2
Davidson	0	0	0

Davidson Falls to Elon, 2-0, in Mid-Week SoCon Action

10/15/2008 9:10:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

By: Matt Harris - Assistant SID

DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Davidson men's soccer team was unable to overcome an Elon goal just over three minutes into the match, and dropped their Southern Conference matchup with the Phoenix, 2-0, Wednesday evening at Alumni Stadium.

The eventual game-winning goal came at the 3:07 mark of the first half, when Elon's Aaron Parker made a run up the right side of the field, drawing the Davidson (2-10-1, 1-3-0 SoCon) defense to him, then dropping a pass in front of the net for teammate Erfan Imeni, who was able to put it past a diving Robby Goldsberry and into the goal.

“Elon is a very good team,” said Davidson head coach Matt Spear. “To be 5-0 in our conference proves they have good ability. But, I was disappointed that we gave up a goal so early, and after we just took too long to get our momentum and energy going. When you are at home for a big conference game, you have to play at a very high level for all 90 minutes to have a chance to win.”

The two teams battled for the next 58 minutes of action, which was characterized by a back-and-forth pace by both sides. In this span, Davidson was able to break through with some quality scoring chances, including a fast break attempt by freshman Mark Millard in the 39th minute that came close to knotting the score at one, but was saved by the Elon (6-7-1, 5-0-0 SoCon) goalkeeper.

The two teams combined for 12 shots between them in the first 45 minutes, including eight on goal, with the strength of the defenses keeping the halftime score at 1-0.

The second frame played out much like the first until the 61:47 mark, when Justin Wyatt collected a pass in the penalty box, spun, and fired a sideways bicycle shot into the back of the net to give Elon a 2-0 lead.

Despite the loss, Davidson held the advantage on the stat sheet, out-shooting Elon 11-10 for the match, including a 6-3 edge in the second half. The two teams each took three corner kicks, and were tied at 10 in the foul category.

Goldsberry collected five saves on the night, all coming in the first half. Sophomore Robert O'Donnell took a team-high three shots, leading a group of eight Wildcats who recorded a scoring attempt in the match.

Davidson will look to rebound next Tuesday night when they welcome defending National Champions Wake Forest to Alumni Stadium for a non-conference matchup. The 7 p.m. contest will be the 27th meeting all-time between Davidson and the Demon Deacons. Spear knows his team will come out looking to take down the No. 1 team in the nation.

“Playing Wake Forest is an incredible and exciting opportunity not just for this team, but for the whole program,” he said. “They are the top team in the country for a reason, so we have a lot to look forward to. The chance to be a giant-killer on your home field doesn't come around very often, and we have to be ready to seize the moment.”