GWU Surrenders Two First Half Goals in 2-0 Loss to Campbell in Regular Season Finale
November 03, 2012 | Men's Soccer
Boiling Springs, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb men's soccer team gave up two first half goals to fall to Campbell 2-0 on Senior Day at Greene-Harbison Field Saturday afternoon in Boiling Springs, N.C.
The loss drops GWU to 4-13-2 and 3-5-2 in the Big South, all but assuring them the No. 7 seed in next week's 2012 Big South Men's Soccer Championship Tournament. Campbell improves to 12-5-1 overall and 7-3-0 in the Big South and will be hosting a quarterfinal game on Tuesday night.
Campbell looked to score early in the contest, as GWU senior goalkeeper Jaap Elekan stopped the first Fighting Camel shot in the fourth minute and then the second 48 seconds later. However, the second shot that Elekan stopped was blocked and rebounded back out into the box where Campbell's Mitchell Cardenas took one touch and blasted the ball past Elekan to put the visitors up 1-0 in the fifth minute of the match.
The Fighting Camels would outshoot GWU 4-0 over the next 15 minutes of play, with Elekan making a save on another Cardenas shot in the 19th minute. However, Campbell would score again in the 20th minute, as Justin Franz received a pass from Cardenas in the box and put his shot past the GWU goalkeeper to take a 2-0 lead early in the first half.
Senior John Sargent accounted for the Runnin' Bulldogs first shot of the match in the 24th minute, as it sailed high and out of play to keep the score at 2-0 in favor of the Fighting Camels.
GWU's Elekan posted saves in the 26th minute and in the 29th minute, as the Fighting Camels continued to put pressure on the Runnin' Bulldog defensive unit.
Campbell registered six more shots over the final 15 minutes of play, compared to the Runnin' Bulldogs one, as five of those shots were blocked by a GWU defender and the other was one hauled in by Elekan, while GWU's Riley Shelton had his shot blocked in the 43rd minute to keep the score at 2-0 at the halftime break.
Out of the halftime intermission, Sargent had a shot attempt blocked in the 47th minute, while Campbell's next four shots were offline to keep the score at 2-0 through 55 minutes of play.
Senior Chris Davis recorded a shot in the 57th minute, only to see it sail high of the goal, as GWU continued to look to get on the scoreboard in the match.
Perhaps GWU's best scoring chance came in the 65th, as freshman Jake Kennedy played a free kick from just outside the top of the box around the Campbell defensive wall and on frame where Campbell goalkeeper Ethan Hall made a diving save to hit the ball offline and preserve the 2-0 lead for the Fighting Camels.
Gardner-Webb would not get another shot off until the 85th minute, as junior Chijioke Akujuobi fired a shot that went wide of the goal and out of play.
Campbell would hold on for the 2-0 conference win to improve to 7-3-0 in the conference standings and assure itself a home match in the first round of the 2012 Big South Men's Soccer Championship Tournament.
GWU was outshot 25-6 for the match, while Elekan totaled seven saves in the loss.
Campbell's Hall earned the win to improve to 12-5-1 on the year, posting one save in the victory.
Both Gardner-Webb and Campbell will next be in action on Tuesday night, November 6th, as each will compete in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Big South Men's Soccer Championship Tournament.
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| Box Score: Campbell 2, GWU 0 |
