University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Monday, August 19
Asheville, NC
6:00 PM
UNC Asheville
0
vs
2
East Tennessee State (Exhibition)
Photo by: Adrian Etheridge
Bulldogs Gain Valuable Experience in Exhibition Against ETSU
08.19.2019 | Men's Soccer
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – UNC Asheville's men's soccer team entered into the exhibition portion of its season, Monday night, falling to East Tennessee, 2-0, at Greenwood Soccer Field.
The Bulldogs went on the offensive early, recording a pair of scoring chances in the first four minutes of the contest. Freshman Andrew Rossetti went all out on a diving header off a corner kick, but his attempt missed just wide. Two minutes later, his attempt from inside the box sailed unfortunately over the crossbar.
The Buccaneers responded with a strong attack in the seventh minute, but freshman goalkeeper Jarrett Payne made an exceptional diving save to keep ETSU off the board. It was one of many highlights on the night for the rookie, as he recorded four saves and had a number of strong defensive efforts clearing potentially dangerous crosses.
At the midway point of the first half, junior Tyson Hichman put a laser on frame, but ETSU's keeper made a nice play to send the ball over the top of the bar. On the ensuing corner, Hichman had another attempt off a rebound, but was unable to capitalize. Another diving save by Payne in the 26th minute helped keep the score knotted up going into halftime.
Again, the Bulldogs started the half on the offensive end, this time as senior Frank Morales sent a strike from outside the box just a bit too high only three minutes into the second period.
The Buccaneers broke the deadlock as Lucas Lightner put one at the back of the net on an assist from Josh Denton in the 56th minute. They would add another goal on a defensive miscue in the 83rd minute.
The Bulldogs put on the pressure immediately after, as Miles Peay collected the ball in traffic and put a ball just wide as the keeper dove to his left. Four minute later, Rossetti also missed just wide, this time as the keeper dove right. In the final minute, freshman Owen Bauer forced a save off a corner kick.
Despite the outcome, head coach Mathes Mennell was encouraged by the fast start and has some teachable moments as the Bulldogs continue to gear up for their season opener against Navy, August 30.
Mennell's Musings
On his thoughts of the match:
"I thought we were pretty good in the first half. I thought the two goals against us come down to two individual mistakes. That's frustrating, but at the same time, this is that point in the season where you play exhibition games so you put yourself in those situations where you can learn from them. I think for us, the biggest takeaway is that we have a chance to be pretty good if we do the things we're good at. We really have to work on being sharper in the final third. It wasn't for a lack of endeavor; it was just a lack of sharpness in the final third. I'm not OK with it, but that's to be expected, and it gives us an idea of what we need to work on before our final exhibition match on Friday."
On if playing an early exhibition game expedites the training process:
"I hope so, and I think there were moments today where we were the better team, but you have to be consistent with that. I think when we look at the film, we're probably going to be a little let down because the errors that led to the goals were pretty simple stuff. Especially this time of year, I don't really believe in losing. You either win or you learn, and today we did some positive things I'm excited about. We did some stuff we need to learn from, but that's part of the team experience and it's very early – we've been at it a week. I thought the group made some positive steps, but we still have stuff to work on."
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The Bulldogs went on the offensive early, recording a pair of scoring chances in the first four minutes of the contest. Freshman Andrew Rossetti went all out on a diving header off a corner kick, but his attempt missed just wide. Two minutes later, his attempt from inside the box sailed unfortunately over the crossbar.
The Buccaneers responded with a strong attack in the seventh minute, but freshman goalkeeper Jarrett Payne made an exceptional diving save to keep ETSU off the board. It was one of many highlights on the night for the rookie, as he recorded four saves and had a number of strong defensive efforts clearing potentially dangerous crosses.
At the midway point of the first half, junior Tyson Hichman put a laser on frame, but ETSU's keeper made a nice play to send the ball over the top of the bar. On the ensuing corner, Hichman had another attempt off a rebound, but was unable to capitalize. Another diving save by Payne in the 26th minute helped keep the score knotted up going into halftime.
Again, the Bulldogs started the half on the offensive end, this time as senior Frank Morales sent a strike from outside the box just a bit too high only three minutes into the second period.
The Buccaneers broke the deadlock as Lucas Lightner put one at the back of the net on an assist from Josh Denton in the 56th minute. They would add another goal on a defensive miscue in the 83rd minute.
The Bulldogs put on the pressure immediately after, as Miles Peay collected the ball in traffic and put a ball just wide as the keeper dove to his left. Four minute later, Rossetti also missed just wide, this time as the keeper dove right. In the final minute, freshman Owen Bauer forced a save off a corner kick.
Despite the outcome, head coach Mathes Mennell was encouraged by the fast start and has some teachable moments as the Bulldogs continue to gear up for their season opener against Navy, August 30.
Mennell's Musings
On his thoughts of the match:
"I thought we were pretty good in the first half. I thought the two goals against us come down to two individual mistakes. That's frustrating, but at the same time, this is that point in the season where you play exhibition games so you put yourself in those situations where you can learn from them. I think for us, the biggest takeaway is that we have a chance to be pretty good if we do the things we're good at. We really have to work on being sharper in the final third. It wasn't for a lack of endeavor; it was just a lack of sharpness in the final third. I'm not OK with it, but that's to be expected, and it gives us an idea of what we need to work on before our final exhibition match on Friday."
On if playing an early exhibition game expedites the training process:
"I hope so, and I think there were moments today where we were the better team, but you have to be consistent with that. I think when we look at the film, we're probably going to be a little let down because the errors that led to the goals were pretty simple stuff. Especially this time of year, I don't really believe in losing. You either win or you learn, and today we did some positive things I'm excited about. We did some stuff we need to learn from, but that's part of the team experience and it's very early – we've been at it a week. I thought the group made some positive steps, but we still have stuff to work on."
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Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
W/F
/ Men's Soccer
MF/F
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