Runnin' Bulldogs Win The 'Battle of the Bulldogs' On Wednesday Night
October 29, 2009 | Men's Soccer
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Two first half goals proved to be enough for the Runnin' Bulldogs, as Gardner-Webb picked up a 2-1 win over UNC Asheville in the "Battle of the Bulldogs" on Wednesday night in Boiling Springs, N.C.
With the win, Gardner-Webb improves to 8-5-1 overall and finished
the conference regular season at 4-3-1. The loss drops UNCA to
6-8-2 overall and 2-3-1 in the Big South.
Gardner-Webb junior George Tasedan picked a great time to score his
first goal of the season, as less than five minutes into the match,
the midfielder received a cross in the box from teammate Romeo
Kabanda and fired a shot into the back of the net, giving GWU a 1-0
advantage.
With the 1-0 lead, Gardner-Webb pushed its lead out to two in the
29th minute, as Gerard Hefferon picked up a deflected ball in front
of the right post off a Tasedan shot, put foot to leather and
scored his ninth goal of the season to give the Runnin' Bulldogs a
2-0 lead.
That lead would stand for the remainder of the first half, but not
long after, as UNCA got on the board 51 seconds into the second
half. The Bulldogs' Zachary Odum made a pass to teammate Alex
Koslick, who beat a Gardner-Webb defender and put a shot past GWU
keeper Trent Kozman for his first goal of the season, cutting the
GWU lead to one at 2-1.
However, the Runnin' Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb outshot the UNCA
Bulldogs 16-3 in the second half and 27-9 for the match, continuing
to put pressure on the UNCA defense and goalkeeper Lassi
Hurskainen.
Kozman had four saves for the match, picking up his eighth win of
the season, while Hurskainen of UNCA had eight stops for the
match.
GWU's Tasedan ended the match with four points, picking up a goal
and an assist in the first 45 minutes of play. Kabanda tallied his
sixth assist on the season, while Hefferon recorded his ninth goal
for the year.
An exciting night awaits the Bulldogs on Saturday night, as GWU
will have two special presentations during its 6 p.m. match with
the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Prior to the contest,
Gardner-Webb will recognize its three seniors - Jordan Gaines, Mark
Webster and Gerard Hefferon.
At halftime, the Gardner-Webb men's soccer program, along with
Gardner-Webb University President Dr. A. Frank Bonner, will hold a
ceremony to honor a fallen Bulldog in Jordan Traylor. Traylor, who
was a member of the GWU men's soccer team from 2003-2007, died
unexpectedly in December 2008. The Gardner-Webb family will hold a
ceremony to retire Traylor's number, number 16, in remembrence and
recognition of Jordan's contributions to both the men's soccer
program and the University community.
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| Box Score: Gardner-Webb 2, UNC Asheville 1 |
