DAVIDSON, N.C. — Junior Rian Phillips headed in the late game-winner to give Appalachian State University men's soccer the 2-1 victory over Davidson on Saturday night.
The Mountaineers (2-5-1) came back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat the Wildcats (1-6-0) in the waning minutes after they got the first goal in the 15th minute.
"I'm very pleased with the result tonight," head coach Jason O'Keefe said. "Once again tonight, we made strides in a positive direction and were able to collect our first points on the road. Now, we need to recover, refocus and get back to work on Monday as we hit the road again on Tuesday to play a tough UNC Asheville team."
Davidson got on the board first when Maxi Pragnell set up Jon Creel for a goal toward the far post at 14:01 in the game. But Appalachian would respond less than three minutes later when Stephen Chapman got his third penalty kick goal of the season to even the match up.
After the two scores, the match was deadlocked at 1-1 and both teams battled over the center third of the field for possession.
Then, in the 76th minute, Daniel Avila launched a great corner ball into the box where Phillips was able to knock it in for the game-winner. The goal is Phillips' first goal with Appalachian State and also his first game-winning goal.
In the net again for the Mountaineers was Jake Agnew. Agnew had two saves on the day with just the one goal allowed.
All Cylinders
The match featured a lot of defensive and battle in the center, but Appalachian State was able to put the pieces together offensively and outshoot Davidson 12-10 during the match and a clutch 8-4 in the second half.
Leading on shots for the Mountaineers were Chapman with four shots and two on goal, Thibaut Arpinon with three shots on goal and Jordan Melia with two shots.
Off the sidelines for App State, both Donovan Japp and Phillips had one shot on goal each.
The backline for the Black and Gold was also able to limit the Wildcats' offensive attack, only allowing three shots on goal of their 10 total.
Looking Forward
The Mountaineers will stay on the road as they go to play UNC Asheville on Tuesday, Sept. 27. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
