STATESBORO, GA – Sophomore forward Mike Rood (Conklin, NY/Susquehanna Valley) and senior midfielder Jhevaughn Beckford (Kingston, Jamaica/Wolmer’s Boys’ School) each scored second-half goals to lift Hartwick’s men’s soccer team to a 2-0 victory over Appalachian State in the Sun Belt Semifinals at Eagle Field in Statesboro, GA Friday afternoon.
            With the victory, the Hawks advance to the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Soccer Championship against the winner of the Georgia State-Georgia Southern semifinal match later this evening. Kickoff is 1 p.m.
            After the victory, Hartwick head coach John Scott credited an Appalachian State team forced to play twice inside of 24 hours.
            “Considering App State plated last night and might have felt tired,” said Scott, “they certainly didn’t look it and made us work very hard.”
            The Mountaineers held a 7-5 advantage in shots in the opening half. However, none of the Mountaineer efforts were troubling for junior goalkeeper Tom Buckner (Oxfordshire, England/Henley College). Instead, Hartwick had the three most telling chances in the first 45 minutes.
            Rood whistled a shot wide roughly 13 minutes into the match. Junior defender Jack Miller (Commack, NY/Commack) delivered a pass to the top of the 18 after he beat an App State defender. Rood took one touch and aimed for the far bar but his shot was just to the right of Mountaineer keeper Paul West.
            Less than four minutes later, the Hawks had another look at goal. Senior midfielder Chris Walter (Amherst, NY/Nichols School) sent a corner into the App State box. Defender Jamie O’Grady (Falkirk, Scotland/Falkirk) ran onto the cross and met it near the penalty spot for a free header but his effort went high over the bar.
            The best opportunity of the half came with about 21 minutes left in the half. The Hawks strung some passes together allowing Beckford service on the left flank. The ball made it to the far post to Walter who took the ball down and slipped past a defender. He fired his shot from the right side of the goal eight yards out but it skipped just past the far post and the game remained level.
            “Once the first half settled in, we grew into the game and finished the half the better team,” added Scott. “We created good chances but without testing their goalkeeper.”
            ’Wick continued to pressure the Mountaineers in the second half of play. Rood sent a shot high over the bar after nine minutes. Kit Tregear (Brighton, England/BHASVIC) also had a header following a free kick on the left side but he couldn’t get over the ball and put it high. Miller generated another chance following a long run with the ball. He was fouled 20 yards from the App State goal resulting in a free kick. Defender Ross MacKinnon (Glasgow, Scotland/Jordanhill School) took the kick but his low shot was handled by West.
            The big moment came at 21:38 as the Hawks surged ahead. David Styles’ (Bognor Regis, England/St. Phillip Howard) short pass allowed MacKinnon to get a perfect service from the right side to the head of Rood for the header goal and the Hawks were in front. It marked Rood’s fourth tally and MacKinnon’s third assist of the season.
             “When we broke the deadlock it was a huge step in the right direction,” Scott said. “What a ball from Ross and a solid head from Mike beats the goalkeeper.”
            The Mountaineers didn’t threaten the Hawks in the next 13 minutes. Instead, the Hawks added to their total with a big insurance goal with under nine minutes remaining. Twenty-two yards from goal, Walter played a short pass into the box for Beckford. He collected it, turned back inside, and drove a far-post shot past West from 16 yards away for a 2-0 advantage.
            “The second goal gave us security,” added Scott. “JV just buried his shot on the turn.”
            The Mountaineers had a couple of opportunities in the final six and a half minutes to cut the deficit in half. Seth Williams had a shot scream just wide of Buckner. Williams also had App State’s final chance with three minutes left but he sent his shot from in close over the Hartwick crossbar.
            Both teams ended the match with 11 shots and three corners. Buckner would make two stops for the Hawks. West made three saves for Appalachian State.
             The Hawks (5-9-4) have now won three of their last four matches and have two straight clean sheets. ’Wick held the Mountaineers scoreless for 200 minutes in two matches following a 0-0 tie in early October. The victory is also the first playoff win for Hartwick since a 3-2 MAC semifinal win over Western Michigan in 2009.
             Sunday’s winner will not only win the Sun Belt Championship but also earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament. The final will be available for viewing on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.

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