Men's Soccer

MEC Men's Soccer: Quarterfinals Recap

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – Third-seeded Davis & Elkins and fourth-seeded Concord advanced to the semifinal round of the 2023 MEC Men’s Soccer Championship on Sunday afternoon with quarterfinal wins.
 
Wednesday’s semifinal schedule is now set, with Davis & Elkins traveling to second-seeded Notre Dame for a 2 p.m. kickoff in South Euclid. The second semifinal is set for 7:30 p.m. as Concord travels north to top-seeded Charleston.
 
In the first quarterfinal matchup of the day, Davis & Elkins and West Liberty battled to a 0-0 draw after 110 minutes of play.
 
The pair of All-Conference goalkeepers put on stellar performances with West Liberty’s Noah Underwood recording 13 saves, and Davis & Elkins’ Grant Wyles recording five saves.
 
The D&E offense fired 27 shots in the game, including 13 that were on-target. West Liberty, on the other hand, attempted just eight shots, with five on goal.
 
Davis & Elkins would come away with the win with a 5-4 advantage in PKs. The first nine PK attempts found the back of the net as the Senators grabbed a 5-4 advantage. West Liberty’s final PK kicker, Vitor Otsuka’s attempt went low left and was saved by Wyles to allow D&E to move on to the semifinals.
 
In Beckley, Concord got past West Virginia Wesleyan with a second-overtime goal by Andre Nicholson, which was his second goal of the game. The game-deciding goal took place just :55 seconds before the second overtime was set to expire.
 
The teams traded scores during regulation for the game’s 2-2 tie after 90 minutes of play. Concord stuck first on an unassisted goal by Nicholson in the 11th minute. Thirty minutes later, Wesleyan got on the board with assistance from a Concord own-goal.
 
Late in the second half, Concord’s Tomas Kelly scored a goal that found the net in the lower right corner, giving the Mountain Lions a 2-1 advantage. Less than a minute later, Wesleyan’s Brogan Horniman scored the equalizer with an assist from Sinasi Emre Deniz, the 2023 MEC Offensive Player of the Year in men’s soccer.
 
Statistically, Concord held a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal.