Follow American_MSoc
Sunday, Sept. 8-Monday, Sept. 9
Highlights
Mercer 1, Memphis 0
The UofM men's soccer team closed out its weekend in Birmingham by dropping a matchup with Mercer on Sunday night. The 1-0 decision sets the Tigers back to 2-2 on the young season.
After allowing a goal early in the first half, Memphis tried to bounce back in the second half, but was unable to overcome the early score.
Mercer started the game off fast, scoring a goal in the third minute of the match. After the miscue, Memphis locked down defensively, allowing just one shot from the Bears in the rest of the first half.
Midway through the second half, the Tigers had arguably their best chance to equalize the game. For about five minutes starting at the 60th minute, Memphis earned two corner kicks and let off five shots, but the Mercer defense wouldn't break.
UCF 3, UTRGV 2
For the second straight match, the No. 15 UCF men's soccer team was forced into double overtime but got the result they wanted Sunday evening as The Knights defeated the UTRGV Vaqueros by a score of 3-2. Yoni Sorokin scored the game winning goal on a penalty kick in the 107th minute.
The Knights wasted no time at all getting onto the score sheet as Cal Jennings netted his fourth goal of the season in the third minute of the match off a nice cross from Richard Amon. Yanis Leerman was credited with the second assist on the goal, as he fed the ball into Amon in the right wing.
Players, fans and coaches barely had time to collect themselves after the first goal as UCF lit up the scoreboard again 64 seconds later. This time, the goal came from the leg of Andres Hernandez. The ball wound up in his wheelhouse after a corner kick from Louis Perez to the far post where Jonathan Dean was waiting. Dean headed the ball towards the goal, where Hernandez was able to tap the ball home for his first goal of 2019.
The Vaqueros kept pushing after Oettl's acrobatic save and found the back of the net in the 67th minute as UTRGV captain Arthur Rogers lofted up a corner kick that was finished off by Kyle Edwards for his first goal of the year.
Play continued at 2-1 for the remainder of the second half until the very end. URTGV was awarded a corner kick in the 90th minute and cashed in as Rogers earned his second assist of the game with Lukas Moser getting the equalizer with 36 seconds left on the clock.
In double overtime, play was continuous, but no shots were taken. In time, Sorokin ended up getting fouled in the box by UTRGV's Bryce Box, awarding Sorokin with a penalty kick opportunity. In the 107th minute, Sorokin netted the deciding goal, beating the goalkeeper who dove in the opposite direction to give the Knights the 3-2 win and avoid tying their opponent for the second straight match.
USF 2, Louisville 0
The USF men's soccer team faced its second Top 25 opponent of the season on Monday night when the Louisville Cardinals visited Corbett Stadium. The Bulls, however, had no intention of playing the gracious host as the Green and Gold stunned fifth-ranked Louisville, 2-0, to improve to 2-1 on the year. The Cardinals suffered their first setback of the season and drop to 2-1-1.
The Bulls got all the scoring that they needed in the first 19 minutes of the contest and then locked Louisville down defensively the rest of the way. The Cardinals came into the match having recorded a season low 13 shots twice, however USF allowed UofL to get off just eight shots on the night with none really being a threat to the Bulls' goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares. The senior keeper logged five saves.
Josue Monge got USF on the board early in the contest netting his first goal of the season – and the eventual game-winner – in the 8' minute, off a pass from Avionne Flanagan, beating Louisville keeper Jake Gelnovatch.
Just under 11 minutes later freshman Victor Claudel, who earlier in the day had been named to the American Athletic Conference weekly honor roll, served up a sliding pass to Flanagan who went one-on-two, beating both defenders and putting a spectacular bending shot on net only to have it saved by Gelnovatch who could not secure the rebound. Claudel, who never quit after the pass, found himself in the right place at the right time taking the rebound in mid-air and sent it past the Cardinals net minder to make the score 2-0 in the 19' minute.
SMU 1, UC Riverside 0
Shane Lanson's save of a UC Riverside penalty kick in the 78th minute preserved a 1-0 Mustangs' victory on Monday night - furthering the team's winning streak to four.
The difference of the game came in the 24th minute when Nicky Hernandez wove through the Highlander defense before burying his shot in the bottom-right corner of the net. It was Hernandez' third goal of the season and first since opening night.
The next 54 minutes of the match would feature lots of back-and-forth physical play, resulting in three yellow cards and 16 combined fouls.
But then in the 78th minute the Highlanders were awarded a penalty kick after Mustang Lane Warrington was ruled to have committed a hand ball. Nearly two minutes passed while the officials set everyone up. Then with just under 13 minutes left in the contest, UCR's Daniel Aguirre stutter-stepped and sent a rocket toward the top-left corner of the SMU goal. Sophomore GK Shane Lanson, in his second ever start left his feet, diving across the net and outstretching his hand to make what could be the save of the year.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
