GREENSBORO, N.C - The Guilford College men's soccer team hosted Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) opponent Roanoke College at Appenzeller Field on Wednesday evening, falling in a closely contested match by a tally of 1-0.
The Quakers were unsuccessful in tonight's match up, falling to 3-8-0 on the season and 0-5 in ODAC play. The Maroons, who are fifth in the ODAC, improved to 6-2-2, and 3-2 in conference play..
Chris Kelley (Lexington, N.C.) got the nod in goal for Guilford securing ten saves opposite one goal allowed among the 18 shots he faced, falling to 2-7-0 in net. Luca Gustafson improved to 6-2-2 for Roanoke, making one save among the nine Quaker shot attempts.
Chris Hercules (Greensboro, N.C.),
Dani Santos (Port St. Lucie, Fla),
Alex Harrison (Greensboro, N.C.), and
Saeed Saavedra (Mount Airy, N.C.), had two shot attempts each with
Chase Lewis(Fayetteville, N.C.), registering one.
The game started with a slow pace as both teams battled for control.
Cameron Robinson (Garner, N.C.) and Harrison made their first starts of the season for the Quakers. The opening stages saw fouls and a goal kick, but no clear-cut chances until the 17th minute when Harrison had the game's first significant opportunity. A well placed through ball from
Elijah McGowen (Chesterfield, Va.) found Harrison near the far post, the freshman hit a right-footed shot near the bottom-left of the goal but was denied by the keeper, making a one-footed save.
In the 22nd minute, the Maroons began to assert their dominance in possession, connecting a pair of passes in the midfield, hitting a through ball down the left wing. Carlos Lomena executed a pair of skill moves, cutting in from the left wing, and unleashed a shot that forced a save from Kelly, who was in top form throughout the match.
In an intense defensive stance by the Quakers, Roanoke found an open slot, executing a perfectly timed through ball, splitting the defense.
Blake Whittle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) attempted to recover and drop back, but unfortunately gave up a penalty. Alex Lopacinski stepped up to take the spot kick, but Kelley denied him with a superb low save to keep the game level.
A defensive showcase is one way to describe the first half as Kelley continued to assert a strong presence. Roanoke executed a perfect build-up play on the left wing, pinging a cross into the box, however, Saavedra displayed his athleticism and cleared the ball off a header. The ball bounced near the outside of the 18' and was struck by Roanoke, off a first touch, right into Kelley's hands.
Roanoke came out strong in the second half, with Lomena creating another dangerous opportunity in the 46th minute, but Kelley again stood firm to keep the scoreline unchanged. Guilford had their own opportunities, most notably in the 57th minute when
Chris Hercules found himself one-on-one with the keeper, but was unable to finish, after executing a beautiful first touch to control the through ball.
The turning point came in the 71st minute when the Quakers were reduced to ten men after Whittle received a red card from a last-ditch tackle just feet beyond the box. Roanoke capitalized on the ensuing free kick, with Hugo Berg's shot hitting the post and bouncing into the box, where Pacific Ibanzi slotted the rebound into the back of the net to make it one-nil.
Despite being down a man, the Quakers fought hard for an equalizer, but could not break through Roanoke's defense, resulting in a narrow 1-0 defeat.
Guilford looks to secure their first ODAC win as they travel to Randolph-Macon College on Saturday, October 12. Kickoff is slated for 3 PM.
#GoQuakes
