Box Score For Immediate Release – 10/26/16 - #099
WildCats Score First But Fall to Guilford
LYNCHBURG, VA – The Randolph College men's soccer team found the back of the net first on Wednesday night against Guilford College, but it was not enough. GC won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) contest 2-1.
The WildCats controlled things early on in the same fashion they would all night. Blake Heatherly and Kyle Unruh both had close attempts. Neither shot could get through to the goal, as the Quakers packed in their defense. However, it would not be long before the stalemate would be broken.
Brian Anderson was pulled down just outside the penalty area in the seventh minute. Heatherly curled his service near the back post. The ball found the head of Unruh, who sent it in for the lead.
The advantage was erased as the Quakers pulled one back in the 12th. GC earned a throw in after a clear that went out of bounds. Mark Dandanell threw the ball into the box and Edgar Solis got his head on it. It hit the post and barely crossed the line to tie the score.
However, the WildCats went back on the offensive looking to take the lead. The 'Cats fired several shots off of the framework. Unruh then almost got on a loose ball in the box in the 19th minute, but it was cleared away by a Quaker. Shortly after, Heatherly sent a rocket free kick at the goal, but it was stopped by Eric Hayes. Randolph had two late chances to take the lead back. Austin Davidson sent a cross to Gabe Krueger in the 40th, but Krueger could not reach it. Heatherly also had a late shot, but it was scooped up.
The 'Cats had a couple of early chances coming out of the intermission, but could not get the ball through the traffic. Heatherly took an early shot at the top of the box, but it was blocked. Two minutes later, Adam Watson almost got on a through ball, but his shot went wide, as Hayes rushed off the line. Heatherly had another free kick blast but it was stopped as well.
Despite the WildCats continuous push, the team could not find the back of the net. However, Guilford did on a counter. Leke Ademoyero back-heeled a pass to Ricky Aguilar on the left side of the box, and Aguilar found the net to take the lead.
Randolph tried to answer over the final 25 minutes, earning several more stellar attempts. Joe Uzdavinis almost beat Hayes in the 67th minute, but it just barely went wide. Anthony Fonnesu almost caught it with a great run, but he couldn't quite get on the loose ball. Then in the final minutes of the game, the WildCats had two more shots, with one coming at full time. But Hayes was there to stop it and preserve the win.
The 'Cats dominated statistically, outshooting their opponents 28-10. The hosts also earned nine corners to only one for the visitors. Hayes made five saves for the Quakers (6-8-3 overall, 1-4-3 ODAC).
Randolph (7-5-4, 2-3-3) will close out its regular season on Saturday. The WildCats welcome Randolph-Macon College (9-4-2, 5-3) for a key ODAC contest. Seedings will be on the line in the game, and prior to kickoff, Randolph will honor its seven seniors: Anderson, Davidson, Heatherly, Troy Jurney, Anthony Quinn, Unruh, and Uzdavinis. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m.
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