RICHMOND, Va. –– The offense was out in full force for Appalachian State University men's soccer (1-1), as three different student-athletes scored en route to a 3-2 triumph over VCU (0-2) on Sunday evening at Backers Stadium.
The Mountaineers' three goal scorers in Felix Kollmannthaler, Zeiko Harris and Austin Hill all scored their first-career goal for the Apps.
The three goals were the highest since tallying three against USC Upstate last season, while it was also the highest scoring output on the road since 2015 when the Black and Gold scored three goals against Presbyterian.
"Fantastic result," head coach Jason O'Keefe said after the win. "VCU is a championship level program that will compete for the A-10. They've been in the finals for two years in a row. Every player was all in with a complete effort and showed a refuse to lose mentality, which is what we needed this weekend. We look forward to getting home, regenerating and hosting two massive home games this weekend."
Appalachian wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard with two goals in the first 16 minutes of the match. Kollmannthaler got things started with his first goal of the season to break the 0-0 start before Harris gave App the 2-0 advantage when Daniel Avila found the freshman for one of his two assists.
After coming out of the half with a 2-0 edge, VCU cut the deficit to one after Ulrik Edvarsen hit a header off the crossbar. However, the Mountaineers gave themselves some cushion when Avila fed Hill for a shot to the far post, extending the lead to two goals.
VCU would score once more in the contest, but it wouldn't be enough, leading to Appalachian's victory. The Mountaineers took advantage of their opportunities as all four of their shots were on target, which three turned into goals. Jake Chasteen started between the posts and collected two saves.
App finished second in what turned into a round-robin tournament. For their performances, Harris, Hill and Jeremy Tshongo were named to the all-tournament team.
Appalachian will aim to keep the momentum going next weekend with a pair of home matches, starting with Central Arkansas on Friday at 5 p.m.
Final Standings
1) Old Dominion 2-0-0
2) Appalachian State 1-1-0 (Goal Diff: 0)
3) Oakland 1-1-0 (Goal Diff: -2)
4) VCU 0-2-0
Below is the 2017 VCU/ODU Tournament All-Tournament Team
Ryan McLaughlin - Old Dominion
Fox Slotemaker - Old Dominion
Max Wilschrey - Old Dominion
Sebastien Hauret - Old Dominion
Jeremy Tshongo - App State
Zeiko Harris - App State
Austin Hill - App State
Nebojsa Popovic - Oakland
Austin Ricci - Oakland
Siad Haji - VCU
Rafael Andrade Santos - VCU
Tournament MVP - Sebastien Hauret, Old Dominion
