Hammerheads wrap up season; UNCW men’s soccer loses CAA opener
WILMINGTON, NC (HAMMERHEADS) — Wilmington Hammerheads FC concluded their final match of the USL regular season on Saturday night with a 2-2 draw versus Toronto FC II. Aaron Wheeler netted two goals for the Hammerheads in front of 3,243 fans at Legion Stadium, both equalized by Toronto’s Sal Bernal.
Jordan Hamilton was quick to set the pace for the first half with a 50-yard breakaway down the sideline for Toronto. Surpassing defender Paul Nicholson on the backline, Hamilton approached Hammerheads territory for the first attempt of the night, but goalkeeper Andre Rawls stood wide to deflect the shot. Making his final appearance of his playing career, Cody Arnoux retaliated for Wilmington moments later with the club’s first attempt of the match, but Toronto goalkeeper Quillan Roberts made the slide for the save.
Aaron Wheeler notched his first goal of the night for Wilmington in the 13th minute after Corben Bone took the ball around three Toronto defenders and laid it off to him for the one touch into the back of the net. The goal was his first individual goal of the season and he later scored his second goal of the match with a header from a corner kick taken by Tom Parratt in the 37th minute.
The Hammerheads shutout did not hold long as Toronto’s Sal Bernal got a touch on a loose ball bouncing in the penalty area, knocking it just over Rawls’ head as he came off the goal line in the 45th minute. Bernal fired back again in the 55th minute with the equalizer, making majority of the second half a fight between both sides looking to secure a full victory.
Chris Mannella looked to notch that extra goal each side was looking for in the 66th minute for Toronto as his shot hit the crossbar and deflected into the penalty area. Hamilton stepped up to take the second attempt on the play at the top of the box, but Rawls once again prevented him access and kept the score at a standstill.
Qudus Lawal had the final attempt of the match for the Hammerheads in stoppage time as he dribbled amongst four Toronto defenders in the penalty area, his touch on the ball fell short for the shot and Roberts deflected it out of bounds.
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HEMPSTEAD, NY (UNCW) — Freshman midfielder Ben Fisher(Chapel Hill H.S./Chapel Hill, N.C.) scored in the 32nd minute, but it was not enough as No. 24 UNCW had its six-match unbeaten streak snapped with a 2-1 setback against Hofstra in the Colonial Athletic Association opener for both teams at Hofstra Soccer Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Seahawks, who were playing their second consecutive road contest, dropped to 5-1-1 on the season and 0-1-0 in the CAA. Meanwhile, Hofstra earned its second straight victory while improving to 6-1-0 overall and 1-0-0 in the CAA.
The Pride claimed a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute when senior defender Daniel Grundei (Nuremberg, Germany) took a pass from junior Rory Murphy (Windlesham, England) and scored his first goal of the season.
But, UNCW answered in the 32nd minute as Fisher blasted a 25-yard shot into the upper right corner for his fifth goal of the season.
Hofstra regained the advantage with 25:56 remaining in the second half when sophomore midfielderMeshack Eshun Addy (Tema, Ghana) scored his fourth goal of the year into the top left corner after a pass from sophomore midfielder Mani Walcott (Eleanor Roosevelt H.S./Beltsville, Md.).
The Seahawks had several chances in the closing minutes, including an outstanding header shot by senior forward Colin Bonner (Reservoir H.S./Fulton, Md.), but the Pride defense held UNCW off en route to the victory.
Senior goalkeeper Patric Pray (Corona Del Sol H.S./Chandler, Ariz.) made four saves in the victory for Hofstra, which outshot UNCW by a 16-11 margin.
Junior goalkeeper Sean Melvin (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) tallied two saves in the loss for the Seahawks.
#SeahawkStats: UNCW and Hofstra met for the 15th time in the all-time series … The Pride hold a 9-4-2 advantage over the Seahawks, including a 5-0-2 mark at home … Saturday’s game featured the top two point scorers in the CAA … Bonner, who leads the CAA with 16 points, had a five-game point-scoring streak snapped while Hofstra junior midfielder Joseph Holland (London, England) failed to record a point for just the second time this year … Holland ranks second in the CAA with 12 points … Fisher has tallied a point in five consecutive games after scoring his goal in the first half … The Seahawks had not allowed a goal in the previous 213 minutes, 57 seconds before Grundei’s goal in the first half … UNCW had not trailed at any point this season prior to falling behind against Hofstra in the first half … The Seahawks were forced to play with 10 men for a majority of the second half after freshman defender Ryan Nally (Worcester Preparatory School/Berlin, Md.) was issued a red card in the 57th minute.
What’s Ahead for the Seahawks: UNCW returns home next Saturday to host Northeastern in a CAA contest. Opening kick-off between the Seahawks and the Huskies is slated for 7 p.m. at UNCW Soccer Stadium.
Men’s College Soccer: Hofstra 2, No. 24 UNCW 1
UNCW 1-0 / 1
Hofstra 1-1 / 2
Goals: UNCW – Ben Fisher (31:36); HOF – Daniel Grundei (19:05), Meshack Eshun Addy (64:04). Assists:UNCW – n/a; HOF – Rory Murphy, Mani Walcott. Saves: UNCW – Sean Melvin 2 (90:00, 2 goals allowed); HOF – Patric Pray 4 (90:00, 1 goals allowed). Shots: UNCW – 11; HOF – 16. Corner Kicks: UNCW – 6; HOF – 8. Attendance: 1,011.
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WILMINGTON, NC (UNCW) — Led by tournament co-MVP’s Nicole Lott and Kristen Powell, who combined for 22 kills and just one hitting error, UNCW rolled past Stetson, 3-0 (25-9, 25-17, 25-21) in the championship game of the Courtyard by Marriott Classic on Saturday at Hanover Hall.
The Seahawks captured the tournament title with a 3-0 mark and improved to 9-3 on the season. The Hatters, who finished 2-1, dipped to 5-8 with the road loss.
Lott held match-high honors with 12 kills while Powell had 10 kills in 14 attacks. UNCW hit .280 for the match while posting a 12.5-3 advantage in blocks. Freshman Anna Moss led the effort upfront, finishing with six total blocks.
McKenna Foster led Stetson with eight kills as the Hatters hit .040 with 30 kills in 100 attacks.
UNCW’s Alyssa Desjardin recorded a double-double with 20 assists and 11 digs. Lindsay Hartmann collected a match-high 12 digs for the Seahawks.
How it happened: UNCW relied on its defense in the first two sets, forcing Stetson to hit -.107 in the opener and then recording 7.5 blocks in the second set.
Notes: UNCW opened its home schedule with three consecutive sweeps … The win was number 93 for UNCW Head Coach Amy Bambenek … Powell was named MVP of a tournament for the second time this season while Lott earned All-Tournament honors for the third time … After cruising through the first two sets, the teams forged six ties and four lead changes … The Seahawks hit .302 for the weekend and out blocked their opponents, 25.5-12 … 12 different Seahawks saw action in the match.
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