JMU goalkeeper Kyle Morton makes a diving save on a shot by UNCW's Jamie Dell
JMU Knocks Off UNCW 2-0 In CAA Men's Soccer Semifinals
Rob Washburn
Boxscore | Men's Soccer #CAAChamps Central | Photos
NEWARK, Del. (November 14, 2014) – Sixth-seeded James Madison advanced to the title game of the CAA Men’s Soccer Championship for the first time since 2001 after upsetting No. 2 UNCW, 2-0, on a cold and windy Friday evening at the University of Delaware’s Stuart and Suzanne Grant Stadium.
The Dukes (9-7-4), who also knocked off No. 3 Hofstra, 2-0, in the CAA quarterfinals last Saturday, will face the winner of tonight’s second semifinal between top-seeded Delaware and No. 5 Northeastern at 1 p.m. on Sunday. UNCW, which had its three-game winning streak snapped, will await a likely at-large berth to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship next week.
JMU used a series of nice passes to set up the opening goal of the match in the 34
th minute. Freshman Francisco Narbon started the play by feeding the ball to classmate Toby Appleton just outside of the box. The Dukes’ defender then made a quick pass to Josh Grant, who was cutting across the middle of the box. The senior forward was able to beat UNCW goalkeeper Sam Williams to the lower left side from five yards out for his team-leading fifth goal of the season.
The Dukes added to their lead just four minutes into the second half after the Seahawks were whistled for a foul on JMU forward Connor Coward in the penalty box. Senior midfielder Jonathan Barden converted the penalty kick into the left side of the goal to make it 2-0. It was Barden’s fourth goal of the year.
UNCW, which was out-shot 8-6 in the match, had its best scoring opportunity with 36 minutes to play. Midfielder Kalvin Kromer sailed a crossing pass to midfielder Jamie Dell in the left side of the box, but his shot was smothered by charging JMU goalkeeper Kyle Morton.
Morton finished with one save and recorded his eighth shutout of the season. It was the Dukes’ fourth shutout in their past six matches. Williams made three saves for the Seahawks, including a diving one-handed stab on a Coward shot midway through the second half. It was just the fourth time all season that UNCW allowed more than one goal in a game.
JMU is the first #6 seed to advance to the CAA championship game since 1993. The Dukes are in the finals for the first time since 2001, when they went on to claim their fourth conference title.