2014 MEN’S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET (PDF)
Statesboro, Ga. – The No. 5 Appalachian State Mountaineers men’s soccer team advanced to the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Soccer Championship semifinals behind a game-winning tally from sophomore Steven Chapman in the 78th minute.
The win advanced Appalachian State (7-6-3, 1-2-2) to the semifinals for a showdown against No. 1 seed Hartwick (4-9-4, 3-1-1) on Friday. The match begins at 3:00 p.m. ET on Friday from Eagle Field in Statesboro, Ga.
Appalachian State broke the scoreless tie when Chapman broke down the right side, deked past several defenders and fired a low shot to the near post. The ball snuck in on the lower right side of the net past diving NJIT goalkeeper Christian Foust and a sliding defender to give the Mountaineers the first edge of the match. The goal was Chapman’s third of the season and went down as an unassisted tally.
The Highlanders rallied, firing six shots down the stretch looking for the equalizer but could not push one past Appalachian State redshirt junior goalkeeper Paul West. West took the win after making five saves on 12 total shots.
NJIT sophomore goalkeeper Christian Foust made four saves and took the loss.
Goalkeeping play dominated the game until Appalachian State notched the match’s first promising scoring chance in the 64th minute when Mountaineers freshman Mason McCarter corralled a loose ball following a corner and flicked it on net. The ball snuck past a diving Foust before a diving effort from sophomore defender Nikola Gogic saved the ball off the line.
Appalachian State’s victory against the Highlanders was its second in as many tries. The Mountaineers finished the regular-season with a 2-1 victory in overtime against NJIT on Nov. 8
A live stream of all matches of the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Soccer Championship is available on SunBeltSports.org. All matches will be available free of charge.
The 2014 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Soccer Championship final is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 16, at 1:00 p.m. ET and will be available for viewing on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
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