GREENSBORO, NC Nirav Kadam and Travis Young scored first half goals and they held up through heavy downpours as UNC Greensboro topped Georgia Southern, 2-0, in a key Southern Conference men's soccer match Friday night.
With the win, the Spartans (7-7-2, 3-3-0) moved into a tie with College of Charleston in third place at nine points, but more importantly moved closer to an all important home game in the first round of the SoCon Tournament. If College of Charleston, which still has three remaining league games, beats Appalachian State on Saturday in Charleston, the Spartans would be in clear control of the fourth spot.
With an Appalachian State loss on Saturday, only Davidson (1-3-1 for 4 points) could surpass UNCG for the fourth spot at that point by winning out. The Wildcats host Wofford on Saturday and face College of Charleston on November 3. Georgia Southern could only tie the Spartans if they beat College of Charleston in their last league match on Tuesday. UNCG would still have the head-to-head over the Eagles by virtue of Friday night's win.
The Southern Conference Tournament's quarterfinal matches will be played on November 10 at the top four seeds. UNCG will host the semifinal and final rounds on November 16 and 18.
Kadam opened the scoring at 6:18. Jokull Elisabetarson played a long ball that sloshed into the box to a near stop. Kadam then dribbled once and hit a shot into the lower left side of the goal for his third tally of the season and a 1-0 Spartan lead.
Kadam assisted on the second goal nearly 16 minutes later. From a crowd in the middle of the box, he played a ball to the right side which Young kicked out of the air and blasted into the right side of the net. It was Young's second goal of the season.
That was all the Spartans would need in the sloppy conditions. UNCG outshot the Eagles, 26-10, including 15-3 in the first half. Chad Janda recorded his first career shutout in the effort, recording four saves.
UNCG, which is now 14-0-2 and has outscored the Eagles 61-15 all-time, returns to action on November 3 when they close out conference play on the road against backyard rival Elon in a math that may or may not mean home field advantage.
AGATE
Georgia Southern.... 0 0 - 0
UNC Greensboro...... 2 0 - 2
SCORING SUMMARY:UNCG Kadam (Elisabetarson), 6:18; UNCG Young (Kadam), 22:04; Shots: Georgia Southern 10, UNC Greensboro 26. Saves: Georgia Southern 8 (Ralph 7; Team Save 1), UNC Greensboro 4 (Janda 4). Corner kicks Georgia Southern 6, UNCG 6. Fouls: Georgia Southern 16, UNCG 16.
