#13 Coastal Caro. Clinches Big South Title
CONWAY – The 14th-ranked Coastal Carolina men’s soccer team clinched the 2013 Big South regular season championship with a 5-2 win over Campbell on Senior Day at the CCU Soccer Field Wednesday night.
The Chanticleers (13-4-0, 8-1-0 Big South) controlled possession and pace of play, along with the box score, on their way to the clinching the program’s 12th regular season conference crown and third in as many years.
On a night were seniors Justin Portillo, Pedro Ribeiro and Matt Risher were honored before the match, it was junior Ricky Garbanzo who led the Chants’ offensive attack with a brace. The two-goal game was his second of the season and increased his season goals scored count to nine. It wasn’t all the Garbanzo show, though, as Ribeiro notched a goal and a pair of assists. Risher and Jakub Stourac also scored in the contest
Coastal owned a 30-9 shot advantage in the game, including a 15-4 margin in the shots on goal category. Coastal also controlled the ball in the corners, earning seven corner kicks to the Fighting Camels’ three.
Risher broke the scoreless tie in the fourth minute with his second goal of the campaign. Risher received an assist from Ribeiro on the left side of the box and shot the ball past Campbell’s hard charging Ethan Hall, who finished the night with 10 saves, and into the back of the net.
Twelve minutes later Campbell’s (4-10-3, 4-4-1 Big South) Ricki Gaez leveled the score with blast into the right upper 90 after shaking his marker near the top of the 18-yard box.
Ribeiro entered the scoring column with a penalty kick at the 20:27 mark of play following a Camel takedown of Garbanzo inside the box. The goal was Ribeiro’s ninth of the season third in the last four games.
Garbanzo scored his first of the evening in the 36th minute with a shot down the center of an empty net. Coastal used a combination play inside the box to spring Garbanzo. Ribeiro dribbled to the top of the box and flicked the ball behind him to Ridge Robinson on the right side. Campbell’s Hall left his net in an attempt to close down Robinson; however, Robinson saw Garbanzo alone in the middle of the six-yard box and quickly played the ball to him. All Garbanzo had to do was square his shot down the center of the net.
Stourac tallied the Chants’ fourth goal of the evening with an unassisted effort in the 65th minute. Stourac received a through ball on the left flank and drove toward the middle before uncurling a low-lying blast just inside the near post for his third goal of the season.
The Fighting Camels’ Justin Franz got a goal back for the visitors at the 67:04 mark with a well-placed direct kick into the far upper 90. The 22-yard goal was set up by a Chanticleer foul just beyond the penalty area.
Garbanzo closed the match’s scoring as he equaled Franz’s direct kick effort. Following a Campbell foul outside the ’18, Garbanzo launched a rocket that kissed the bottom of the crossbar before coming to rest in the back of the net. The goal was Garbanzo’s first on a direct kick this season.
Coastal returns to the pitch in Farmville, Va., for the team's regular-season finale against Longwood at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9. Coastal dismissed Longwood by a 4-nil final in last season’s opener.
The Chanticleers return home for the start of postseason play on Tuesday, Nov. 12, hosting a quarterfinal round match of the 2013 Big South Tournament. The top-seeded Chanticleers will play the eight-seed at 7 p.m.
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