College of Charleston
Elon
No. 2 College of Charleston Loses Semifinal Match, 2-0, to Elon
11/14/2009 1:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
The Phoenix (10-7-2) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half, outshooting the Cougars 10-4. Elon forward Chris Thomas picked up a deflected pass and shot from 10 yard out at the 35:26 mark to put the Phoenix on the board. The SoCon Freshman of the Year struck again four minutes later, netting his 10th goal of the season.
Charleston (11-10-0) stepped up its offense in the second half, holding a 9-6 edge in shots over the Phoenix. The Cougars fired off three shots in the first seven minutes, before entering a 10-minute offensive drought. Junior midfielder Branko Gavric nearly scored at the 71:18 mark, drilling a hard shot and forcing Elon goalkeeper Clint Irwin to make a last-second save.
A penalty kick in the 85th minute of action presented the team with the best chance of scoring in the second half. Senior forward Matt Morris bounced one off the far left post and Irwin trapped the ball in the scramble that followed.
Sophomore goalkeeper Clark Hankins kept the Phoenix from running up the score with two saves in the final three minutes of the game. He finished the match with three saves, as did Elon's Irwin.
Morris led the Cougar offense with four shots while Gavric fired off three. For the Phoenix, Erfan Imeni led with five shots.
Third-seeded Elon advances to the championship match, where the Phoenix will meet the winner of the No. 1 Wofford vs. No. 4 UNC Greensboro contest. The championship is on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Southern Conference All-Tournament Team will be announced following the game.
