UNCW defeats Coastal men’s soccer 3-1

Coastal Carolina fell to the 16th-ranked UNC-Wilmington Seahawks, 3-1, on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at CCU Soccer Complex. This was the first time since 2008 that Coastal lost back-to-back home games.

Coastal got behind early when UNCW’s Ben Fisher picked out Emil Elveroth who slotted the ball into the back of the net, putting the Seahawks up in the 4th-minute. Senior forward Martin Melchor nearly equalized seven minutes later, but his shot was saved by the UNCW keeper. After struggling in the first 10 minutes of the game, the Chanticleers seemed to be in control for a majority of the first half. Coastal had four shots on goal within a 25-minute span, but none could creep into the net and give Coastal an equalizing goal. The Chanticleers had an even deeper hole to dig themselves out of in the 35th-minute when junior defender Sam Strong took down a UNCW player in the box, leading to a yellow card for Strong and a penalty kick for the Seahawks. Strong was injured on the play and subbed off before the penalty was taken. Strong did not return to the game. UNCW would convert the penalty, giving the Seahawks a two-goal lead over the Chanticleers with 10 minutes left in the first half. Coastal was by far the stronger team in the first half, outshooting the Seahawks 5 to 3, but it was the six fouls in the first half that hurt the Chanticleers. It was all Coastal Carolina in the second half, registering 10 shots compared to the five shots of UNCW. A positive turn came for the Chanticleers in the 51st-minute when a penalty was awarded to the Chanticleers after a hard foul in the box by a Seahawk defender. Junior forward Yazeed Matthews stepped up to take the penalty and converted it with ease as the Chanticleers got a goal back with less than 40 minutes still left to play. It was Matthews’ second goal of the season. Coastal would record five shots in the next eight minutes but, much like in the first half, none were able to get into the back of the net for that equalizer. The frustration of not being able to get that tying goal could be seen in the Chanticleers as three yellow cards would be given to three separate players from the 75th-minute to the 85th minute, with a yellow card in the 81st-minute lead to a penalty for the Seahawks. David Lorenzo would score the penalty, making it 3-1 in favor of the Seahawks, and a possible comeback even more difficult. Melchor would nearly get his first goal of the season, but his shot in the 84th-minute would go high, keeping the game at 3-1. In the final two minutes of the game, Matthews was shown a straight red card after a collision with a UNCW player at midfield. Matthews will have to miss the next two games. The loss puts Coastal a 4-6-0 on the year. Coastal has not lost three-straight regular season home games since 2004. The team returns to CCU Soccer Complex on Oct. 8 to take on Hartwick. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.