After earning its first national ranking of the season earlier in the day, the No. 24 UNCW men’s soccer team used a three-goal second half to extend its win streak to five consecutive games with a 3-0 victory over No. 16 Duke at Koskinen Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The Seahawks, who earned their fourth consecutive victory over the Blue Devils, improved to 5-0-1 on the season. Duke dropped to 4-1-1 on the season and had its five-game unbeaten streak snapped.
Following a scoreless first half, UNCW took a one goal lead in the 79th minute when Daniel Escobar took a pass from Jordan Cordero and scored his third goal of the season.
Just over nine minutes later, freshman midfielder Ben Fisher (Chapel Hill H.S./Chapel Hill, N.C.) upped the advantage to 2-0 when he blasted a 25-yard shot into the lower left corner on a free kick. It was Fisher’s fourth goal of the season.
Senior forward Colin Bonner (Reservoir H.S./Fulton, Md.) added an insurance goal with 1:19 left after a long punt by junior goalkeeper Sean Melvin (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) bounced over a Duke defender, creating a one-on-one opportunity with Duke goalkeepr Wilson Fisher.
Led by Melvin, who made one save while posting his second shutout of the season, the Seahawks limited Duke to a season-low four shots.
UNCW begins its Colonial Athletic Association schedule on Saturday, Sept. 19 by traveling to Hofstra for a 7 p.m. game against the Pride.
Coastal Carolina slips past UNCW volleyball
Despite double-doubles from Nicole Lott and Alyssa Desjardins, UNCW dropped a 3-1, (27-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22) decision to Coastal Carolina in volleyball action on Tuesday at the HTC Center in Conway, South Carolina.
The Chanticleers raised their record 6-3 in winning their home opener. UNCW, meanwhile, dropped to 6-3 with their second straight loss. The match capped a three-match stretch that saw the Seahawks play three straight teams that played in the 2014 NCAA tournament.
Lott finished her fourth double-double of the season, with a team-high 16 kills and added 15 digs. Desjardins added 15 assists and 12 digs. Bella Borgiott led UNCW with 23 assists and Lindsay Hartmann had a team-best 20 digs.
Coastal Carolina out hit the Seahawks, .128-.106 and posted eight service errors.
UNCW opens their home schedule with a 7:30 p.m. start against Presbyterian on Friday. It will be the second match of the Courtyard by Marriott Classic. Stetson and Maryland Eastern Shore open the tournament with a 5 p.m. first-serve.
