Concord Battles Number-One Ranked Charleston to a Scoreless Draw

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Concord University men's soccer team earned a hard-fought draw on the road against the top-ranked team in Division II in Charleston in a Mountain East classic Wednesday night at the Welch Athletic Complex.
 
Concord (12-3-3, 10-3-1 MEC) pushed Charleston (14-0-4, 11-0-3 MEC) as the CU played to its second scoreless draw in the last three games.
 
The Mountain Lions showed up to play and it was evident early.
 
In the fourth minute, senior defender Ted Roberts entered the 18-yard box and drove a shot on goal that was saved by the UC keeper.
 
Five minutes later, senior midfielder Malher Santi Possu stepped up to take a free kick, blasting it off the right post, inches away from a stunning goal.
 
After 45 intense minutes, the match was scoreless but Concord had all the momentum. The Mountain Lions led in shots 4-1 and had the lone shot on goal in the first half.
 
Concord remained the aggressors after halftime as junior forward Jaden McKree made a great run through the Charleston defense and forced a great kick save in the 67th minute.
 
CU saw one last wonderful chance in the 79th minute. After a great counter-attack worked up the left wing, the ball fell to senior midfielder Nick Lowery who connected cleanly with the ball, narrowly missing the bottom left corner.
 
With just 18 seconds left, Charleston drew a foul a few yards out from the 18-yard box. CU was able to defend the last second barrage and secure the scoreless draw.
 
It was the Concord defense that shined as it held a UC offense that averages 17 shots per game to just four attempts. Senior goalkeeper Miguel Oliveria saved the only shot that was sent his way.
 
Concord led 7-2 in shots and 2-1 in shots on goal. Possu led the team with three shots and Roberts was just behind him with two.
 
Concord heads into the MEC Tournament as the second seed. The Mountain Lions will host the winner of the Point Park-West Liberty quarterfinal Wednesday, November 12 at Callaghan Stadium. Kickoff time will be announced in the coming days.