Carson-Newman, Wingate Post First-Round Wins In NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament

Carson-Newman College and Wingate University both won their first-round matches of the NCAA Division II Southeast Region men's soccer tournament.

Carson-Newman defeated Lander, 2-0, while Wingate defeated Flagler, 4-0.

Carson-Newman 2, Lander 0

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - The 16th-ranked Carson-Newman men's soccer team tallied two first-half goals en route to a 2-0 victory over Lander on Wednesday night in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Tournament at McCown Field.

With the win, the third-seeded Eagles (14-4-1) advance to the Southeast Regional semifinals, where they will take on second-seeded Anderson (S.C.) on Friday at 4 p.m. in Banner Elk, N.C. Lander ends its season at 12-6-2.

C-N held a 12-9 advantage in shots, while each team finished the match with three shots on goal.

The Eagles grabbed the lead in the 17th minute. Junior forward Ben Backstrom (Knoxville, Tenn.) controlled a pass from Daniel Zitt (Morristown, Tenn.) in front of the net and fired a shot past Lander goalkeeper Matthew Atkinson (Durham, England) to give C-N a 1-nil advantage.

Senior forward Omar Cooke (Roanoke, Va.) pushed the Eagles' lead to 2-0 just before the half as he headed in a cross from Anthony Chiappetta (Morristown, Tenn.) in the 40th minute.

Lander was unable to mount a comeback in the final 40 minutes despite several good looks at the goal.

C-N goalkeeper Jordan Moore (Hendersonville, Tenn.) collected three saves to pick up the shutout win, while Atkinson surrendered two goals and had one save in the loss.

Postgame Quotes
Carson-Newman head coach Allen Vital:
"It was a fantastic game. From the beginning, we kept the pressure on them, which was key. We knew with the sloppy conditions it would be difficult to play with them on the ground, and I think the guys did a fantastic job of not allowing them to keep the pressure on us when they tried to move the ball on the ground. We really closed them down and forced them to play long. It was great to get a clean sheet as well."

Lander head coach Van Taylor:
"We didn't play as well as we are capable of. For us, it was a game of two halves. I thought we played a good second half and created enough chances, but at the end of the day, the best team won. I tip my hat to Carson-Newman."

Wingate 4, Flagler 0

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Wingate University men's soccer team battled heavy rains and cold 30-plus MPH winds to take a 4-0 victory over Flagler (Fla.) College Wednesday night in the first round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Region tournament at Mallard Creek Stadium on the campus of Mallard Creek High School. The contest was moved to Mallard Creek's turf field due to heavy rains at Wingate's Pride Park.

With the victory, Wingate improves to 13-4-1 overall. The Bulldogs win their first NCAA Division II play-off match (in three tries). Wingate will face Southeast Region number one seed Lees-McRae College Friday night at 7 p.m. in the second round. The Flagler Saints complete the 2009 season 14-6-2 overall.

Bulldog sophomore midfielder Felippe Imperatriz (Sao Paulo, Brazil) scored two goals for the number four seed Wingate side. Junior All-American midfielder Luke Mulholland (Preston, England) and junior forward Jamie McKenna (Blackpool, England) added goals for victors.

Wingate junior midfielder Jack Vundum (Birmingham, England) helped set the table for the Bulldogs' first goal in the seventh minute. The All-SAC performer split two defenders and found himself in the open field with only Flagler junior goalkeeper Matt Gilman (Ocala, Fla.) to beat. Vundum's left-to-right shot was tipped by Gilman and collected by Mulholland for his 16th goal of the season and South Atlantic Conference-leading eighth match-winner this year.

The Bulldogs converted another rebound opportunity for their second goal. Wingate freshman midfielder Gui Lima (Sao Paulo, Brazil) fired a shot on goal. Gilman made the save, but McKenna was in the right place at the right time to give Wingate a 2-0 lead in the 25th minute. McKenna has six goals this season.

Wingate's third goal was assisted by Mother Nature. Imperatriz hit a corner kick into a swirling wind. Gilman did not have a chance, as the ball squirted over his head and into the back of the nets in the 53rd minute. Imperatriz put the icing on the cake in the 80th minute with a blast from 25 yards out.

The Bulldogs filled up the statistics sheet with 15 shots and eight shots on goal. The Saints had 10 shots and six shots on goal. Four of Flagler's shots on goal occurred in the final 10 minutes of play. Wingate junior goalkeeper Joey Calandra (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) posted his second shutout of the season with four saves. He played 90 minutes. Gilman also went the distance between the pipes. He allowed four goals and recorded four saves.