ELON, N.C. - In his debut with the Apps, junior Boubacar Toure scored the game winner to lift Appalachian State men's soccer (5-2-2, 1-0-0 SoCon) to a 2-1 victory over Elon (2-6-1, 0-0-1) in the teams' Southern Conference opener on Saturday night.

"Tonight was a great team win," commented head coach Matt Nelson. "We had a great all-around effort and are glad to beat a team as good as Elon. It's a fantastic start to our goal of winning the conference crown."

The Phoenix struck first, picking up the game's opening goal. In the 18th minute, Elon's Gabe Latigue scored his first goal of the season on a free kick from just outside the penalty box.

Appalachian responded less than 15 minutes later, as Sean Dreybus netted the equalizer in the 32nd minute. His short shot across the front of the goal from the left side was his team-high fourth score of the season.

Early in the second period, Toure made his presence known on a strike from 12 yards out. His first career goal proved to be the difference maker, as the Mountaineers cruised to the 2-1 victory and a flawless start to the conference slate.

Sophomore Danny Free notched a pair of saves in goal for the Mountaineers, while Toure and Sekani Sinclair tallied a game-high two shots.

Appalachian extends its unbeaten streak to six games (4-0-2). With its last loss coming to Mercer (2-0) on Sept. 4, the Mountaineers have guaranteed themselves at least 31 days between losses. The last time the Apps went more than 30 days without a loss in one season was 1978, when they posted a 9-0-2 regular-season record en route to a SoCon championship and NCAA Tournament second-round appearance.

The Mountaineers return home on Wednesday, Oct. 5 for a non-conference game against Winthrop (3-6-0). Kick off is at 7 p.m. at ASU Soccer Stadium.