Men’s soccer continues Southern Conference play at Appalachian State
GREENSBORO, N.C.—UNCG men's soccer continues Southern Conference play when the Spartans visit Appalachian State, 7:30 p.m., Saturday in Boone, N.C.
The Spartans enter Saturday's match with a 4-5-0 overall record and a 1-0-0 mark in SoCon play. UNCG opened conference play last weekend with a 2-0 win over No. 23 Furman, but suffered a 2-1 double overtime loss to High Point on Wednesday.
UNCG is seeking its first 2-0-0 start in SoCon play since the 2005 squad opened with a 4-0-0 conference record. The Spartans are also in search of their first win away from home this season after losing their first three road matches of the year.
Junior Hakan Ilhan leads the Spartans in goals (5), assists (3) and points (13). Oddur Gudmundsson, Ross Burki and Austin Miller each have two goals for the Spartans. Junior goalkeeper Peyton Ford owns a 0.98 goals-against average and has posted two shutouts in his eight starts.
Appalachian State defeated Winthrop 3-0 in a nonconference match on Wednesday. The Mountaineers are 6-2-2 overall and 1-0-0 in SoCon play. Senior midfielder Sean Dreybus leads the Mountaineers with six goals, while three different goalkeepers have combined for a 0.48 goals-against average. The Mountaineers have allowed just five goals all season.
Spartan Storylines
• Head coach Justin Maullin is 16-11-4 (.581) in his second season with the Spartans, including 5-1-2 (.750) in SoCon games
• Tonight's match is the 27th meeting in the series between the Spartans and the Mountaineers, with UNCG holding a 19-7 advantage in the series. UNCG defeated Appalachian State twice last season, including a 1-0 overtime win in the SoCon Tournament semifinals.
• The Spartans are 0-3 away from home this season
• Junior goalkeeper Peyton Ford earned his 11th career shutout in last Saturday's 2-0 win over No. 23 Furman, moving him into sole possession of third in the UNCG record books. Current assistant coach Jay Benfield (2001-5) is next on the list with 14.
• Ford collected a season-high nine saves in Wednesday's loss to High Point
• Oddur Gudmundsson scored his second goal of the season – and his first since UNCG's 3-2 win over then-No. 12 Duke on Aug. 26 – in Wednesday's loss
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