2013 Southern Conference Quarterfinals Elon 1, Appalachian State 1 Elon, N.C. // Rudd Field

Elon head coach Darren Powell discusses the Phoenix advancing past Appalachian State in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Southern Conference Men's Soccer Championships.

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ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's soccer team defeated Appalachian State, 8-7, in a penalty-kick shootout to advance to the semifinal round in the Southern Conference Tournament on Saturday night, Nov. 9, in front of over 1,000 fans at Rudd Field.

Senior Nick Butterly converted on the game-winning penalty kick to help the No. 2 seed Phoenix (13-4-2) advance for a semifinal rematch against Georgia Southern next Friday, Nov. 15. Elon defeated the Eagles, 1-0, in last year's SoCon semifinals.

Elon dominated the No. 7 seed Mountaineers (4-7-7) in shots (25-11) and corners (9-1) in the opening 110 minutes of action, but could not get past ASU. The Phoenix was on the move from the start of kick and outshot ASU 12-4 in the opening stanza, including a 5-0 mark in corners.

The maroon and gold continued the aggressive offensive pressure in the beginning of the second period. Cauê Da Silva nearly put the first points on the board for the Phoenix in the 48^th minute after firing a shot from 10 yards away, but his attempt hit the top of the post. 

The Mountaineers were the first to get on the scoreboard in the 74^th minute. Trey Hephill scored off a deflection in the box from 20 yards away to give Appalachian State a 1-0 advantage and put the Phoenix on the edge of elimination. 

The Phoenix continued to throw numbers up forward in an effort to chase down the equalizer, but avoided disaster in the 85^th minute. The Mountaineer's Stephen Chapman broke away from the Elon defense and faced keeper Nathan Dean one-on-one during a breakaway. Dean managed to force Chapman to take a difficult attempt, which hit the post and kept the Phoenix within reach.

In the 87^th minute, Elon would finally tie the score at 1-1. James Brace sent in a free kick into the box from the left side that dangerously edged the goal line. After a brief scramble, Nathan Diehl finally sent the ball through the net for his first score of the year and the equalizing goal.

The score would remain unchanged for the remainder of regulation as both teams headed into an extra session. Neither side generated much on the offensive end with one shot attempt between the two teams and the match moved into a second overtime period. The second extra period was more of the same and the Phoenix and the Mountaineers moved into the penalty shootout.

The Phoenix faced early pressure in the shootout as ASU converted on their first attempt while Elon was turned away. Dean and the maroon and gold stayed within reach and turned away the third Mountaineer attempt while Matt Wescoe tied the shootout at 2-2. 

Dean made another great stop on the ninth penalty taker for Appalachian State, setting the stage for Butterly, who converted to give the maroon and gold the 8-7 win.
 
Dean made two saves in the match while playing all 110 minutes between the posts. ASU keeper Danny Free had seven saves in the match while also playing every minute in goal. 

Elon and Georgia Southern are scheduled to play at 5:30 p.m. next Friday, Nov. 15, in Greenville, S.C. The Phoenix earned a 1-0 victory over the Eagles at home earlier this season.