UNC Asheville will have the chance to snap a three match winless streak tomorrow as they take on USC Upstate at Greenwood Field. The Bulldogs (1-3-1) will try to build on their weekend performance at the Davidson adidas Classic, where the young side lost two matches but performed very well against difficult opponents. Asheville fell 2-0 to Davidson (2-1-0) on Friday, despite holding the advantage in shots and corner kicks. On Sunday, the Bulldogs lost by the same margin to national powerhouse Georgetown. The Hoyas (3-1-1) outshot the Bulldogs 28-10, but Asheville kept things close behind a stout defensive effort. Head coach Steve Cornish was impressed with the team’s intensity, saying “our effort was superb in both matches, and our young team continues to get better with each match.” Two Asheville players were named to the Davidson all-tournament team – sophomore goalkeeper Lassi Hurskainen, who recorded 15 saves during the two matches, and sophomore midfielder Connor Holzinger, who has emerged as a leader on offense and defense for the Bulldogs.
USC Upstate is winless at 0-3-0 heading into Wednesday’s match, a mark that might be misleading. The Spartans have been highly competitive in their previous matches, losing by only one goal in each. Upstate opened the season with a 3-2, double-overtime loss to Davidson – the same squad that defeated the Bulldogs 2-0 on Friday. Last week, the Spartans fell 1-0 to a Wofford team that Asheville played to a 0-0 draw earlier in the season. Upstate’s scoring leaders are Nick Buxton, a senior from England who leads the team with two goals, and Timo Foerster, a sophomore from Germany who has a team-high three assists. The Spartans have also benefitted from the netminding of senior Patrick Regna, who has tallied 13 saves on the year.
First priority for UNC Asheville will be to find a way to get the offense back on track; the Bulldogs have not scored a goal in their last 300 minutes of play, despite a number of quality opportunities in the Davidson tournament. Hurskainen has proved he can be counted on for a stellar performance in goal, but the outcome of the match will hinge on the offensive efforts of players like Holzinger, sophomore Bryan George, and freshman Zachary Odum, who leads the Bulldogs in scoring.
The match kicks off at 4pm tomorrow at Greenwood Field, and admission is free. For those unable to attend, the game will be streamed online on the Big South Network.
Prediction: UNC Asheville 2, USC Upstate 1
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment