LYNCHBURG, Va- The Randolph and North Carolina Wesleyan men's soccer teams squared off at a wet and rainy WildCat Stadium on Saturday night. The game was scoreless after a half of play but the WildCats tallied a pair of scores in the second half to come away with a 2-0 victory.
With the win, Randolph improves to 3-1 on the season. The Battling Bishops drop to 1-3.
The two teams could not find a rhythm with the slick conditions on the field. N.C. Wesleyan outshot the Wildcats 5-1 overall with just two of those shots coming on frame. Randolph could only manage one shot that occurred early on in the half.
The game was still scoreless over 20 minutes into the second half. A foul on the Battling Bishops gave Randolph a free kick opportunity in the 68th minute. Parker Aaron (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) sent the long kick from just past the midfield line and toward the goal where Tory Brown (Portsmouth, Va./Churchland) was there to head it into the right side of the net and in to put the 'Cats on the scoreboard and give them the 1-0 lead.
The WildCats added to their lead in the 83rd minute. Ben Gries passed to a streaking Matthew Campbell who found himself one on one with Battling Bishops keeper Freddy Rogers. Campbell was able to chip the ball past a diving Rogers and in to give the WildCats a 2-0 lead.
Randolph's defense was stellar as it allowed just one N.C. Wesleyan shot on frame in the second half. Starting goalkeeper Carter Kelly (Carrollton, Va./Smithfield) registered his second straight win and shutout as he stopped three N.C. Wesleyan shots.
North Carolina Wesleyan outshot Randolph 7-6 overall while the WildCats had a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal. The Battling Bishops were granted three corner kicks while Randolph did not have one.
Randolph returns to WildCat Stadium next Saturday as it hosts Shenandoah in a non-conference game on WildCat Weekend. Game time will be at 6:00 p.m.
