Despite jumping out to an early lead, the Davidson men’s soccer team was unable to overcome a Georgia Southern rally, dropping a 2-1 decision in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament on Sunday afternoon at Eagle Field.
Davidson seemed to be headed into halftime with the lead, but Georgia Southern got on the scoreboard with just 3:05 left in the half when Joe Madigan took a shot from the right side of the box and knocked it into the left corner of the net to pull the match even at one goal apiece.
The eventual game-winning goal came in the 59th minute of the second half courtesy of Austin Steele’s header from the just to the right of the goal mouth into the near corner, Steele’s second goal of the year, both of which have come against Davidson.
“This was a tough loss on the road,” said Davidson head coach Matt Spear. “I thought we started out the match strong, had some good possessions and good energy. Georgia Southern was able to pick up their intensity toward the end of the first half, and took the control of the match.”
After falling behind, the Wildcat offense kept on the attack, firing four shots in the final minutes of the match, with All-Freshman Team member Greg Macnamara nearly tying the match with his attempt in the 61st minute. The ‘Cats had another close call when Pilgrim fired a volley from ten yards out that sailed just over the crossbar and out of bounds.
For the match, GSU out-shot Davidson by a 15-12 margin, but the Wildcats held an 8-7 lead in the first half. Junior Charlie Reiter connected on a team-high four shots, two of which were on goal, and Pilgrim added three attempts to go along with his goal. Wildcat goalkeeper Robby Goldsberry played all 90 minutes between the pipes, making three saves overall.
With the loss, Davidson’s 2008 season comes to an end, with the team finishing with an overall record of 4-14-1, and a 2-5 mark in the SoCon, good for the sixth seed in the conference tournament. It also marks the end of the career for a trio of Wildcats - Cameron Griffin, Whitey Bolan, and Juan Duque, who all made the start in the match.
“I feel for the seniors,” said Spear. “I was happy that all three were able to make the starts in the match, and I know how it feels when your soccer career ends. I can never thank them enough for all they’ve given to this program for the past four years, and everything they’ve done for us.”