Mountaineers Fall in Hartwick in First Round

ATLANTA — Appalachian State University men's soccer couldn't overcome two second-half goals, dropping a hard-fought First Round matchup against Hartwick in the 2016 Sun Belt Championship tournament on Thursday afternoon.

The Mountaineers made a late run in the second half when freshman Graham Smalley fired it home on a quick touch from junior Rian Phillips to close the gap to 2-1 in the 84th minute, making a huge push forward but it wouldn't be enough in the end.

Hartwick was able to break the seal on the goal in the 68th minute when Hamish Ritchie headed in Jack Donaldson's corner kick to go up 1-0. The Hawks' eventual game-winner would come in the 80th minute when Mike Rood found Maurizio Fornerino on a move to get behind the Appalachian backline.

Leading the Mountaineers on offense was sophomore Daniel Avila who had two shots total, followed by Smalley and junior Andrew Goodman who had one shot on goal apiece. 

Senior Stephen Chapman and junior Jeremy Tshongo also chipped in with one shot total each to round out the attacking effort.

Freshman Jake Agnew made three saves on the night, including two close calls in the second half.