Davidson Blanks Saint Joseph's, 3-0

Thursday, November 6

Philadelphia, Pa.

7:00 pm

Davidson College Athletics

10-2-4, 4-2-1 A-10

Saint Joseph's

7-6-4, 2-4-1 A-10

Team	1	2	Final F
Davidson	1	2	3
Saint Joseph's	0	0	0

Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com

11/6/2014 9:05:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Box Score (PDF)
Spear Postgame Interview
Riehemann Postgame Interview
DavidsonPhotos.com

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – In addition to John Pace scoring the eventual game-winner, Davidson got second-half goals from Maxi Pragnell and Valeriy Sviderskiy 29 seconds apart as the Wildcats blanked Saint Joseph's, 3-0, in Atlantic 10 men's soccer action Thursday evening at Sweeney Field.

"We are gaining momentum in our first A-10 campaign," said Davidson head coach Matt Spear. "These are new opponents, new venues and extended travel. Philly is a different experience, but its great to see alumni in these new cities. We are pumped to get our first conference road win as the guys have been building each game."

With their first-ever conference win away from home, the Wildcats improve to 10-2-4 overall and 4-2-1 in league play, while the Hawks fall to 7-6-4 and 2-4-1.

Davidson, which entered the contest with just two first-half goals on the season, grabbed the early 1-0 lead when Pace scored off a short corner combination with Christian Fechter in the 12th minute.

"It's awesome that we have scored 24 goals after halftime but wild just three before halftime; so John's goal was massive. And I love it when defenders score game winners. We train and talk about the importance of set pieces - earn, then execute. John's shot/cross was perfect. And we almost scored from the same corner later that half from Luke Blades to a header by Jess Smith."

Shortly after Pace netted his fourth career strike, Alan Reiter had a great chance from in front, but his right-footed blast caromed off the cross bar.

Clinging to a one-goal margin, Pragnell and Sviderskiy put the game out of reach scoring their fourth goals of the season in the 61st minute. Pragnell's came when he redirected Pace's attempt just inside the six, while Sviderskiy put away his fellow forward's cross from about 10 yards out.

"It was a tough match," said Saint Joseph's head coach Don D'Ambra. "Davidson came out with a lot of urgency and intensity. They were really sharp and had us on our heels a little bit. We ended up catching up to the pace of the game and it ended up being very competitive toward halftime. We made a couple of young mistakes that cost goals and Davidson is too good; they capitalized on every one of them . . . We just couldn't recover. Sometimes you have to tip your hat to the opponent. They were the better team tonight."

Matt Pacifici, who was named the A-10 Co-Player of the Week on Monday, recorded one save en route to his seventh shutout of the season.

"Earning a shutout and scoring three goals underlines an excellent, commanding performance. The coaches are proud of the players because their mindset, fitness and sharpness have been quality. And the guys believe in each other and how we play so that helps our contributions off the bench and on the road. So as strong as our starting 11 have been, we are much more than that. Last game, George Kaloudis and Cort Coxhead scored off the bench, and tonight Jess and Nile Chau played very well when they entered the match," Spear said.

The Wildcats finished with a 15-8 advantage in shots and 8-5 edge in corner kicks.

Davidson will conclude its regular season with a 1 p.m. kickoff at George Washington Sunday afternoon.

"We will enjoy this win, then head down to Washington D.C., where we'll see some of the monuments, go to the DC United/Red Bull playoff match and be excited to take on George Washington in the regular season finale."