Freshman defender J.J. Elder steals the ball from a UNC-Asheville player Tuesday night. Photo by Casey Gahagan

by BRYAN LAIL
Intern Sports Reporter

It may have been senior night at Appalachian Soccer Stadium Tuesday, but it was the Mountaineer freshmen that gave fourth-year players Arie Muniz and Kenny Orelaja the best going-away present—a 2-0 win over visiting UNC-Asheville.

Freshmen defenders David Dodge and J.J. Elder each scored a goal in the first period, leading the Mountaineers to a one-sided victory over the Bulldogs in their senior’s final home contest.

“We needed to do something for them because they have been working hard all season for us,” Dodge said. “It was just good to end the night with a win for them.”

Dodge scored his first career goal from the top of the box in the 31st minute, giving Appalachian some early insurance and a 2-0 lead.

The win improved the Apps 7-8-1 overall, preserving the possibility of  saving head coach Shaun Pendleton’s record 20 consecutive winning seasons with one game left at Georgia Southern Saturday.

While Muniz and Orelaja may have missed out on much of the game action, they both managed to take away something special.

On four separate occasions, Muniz nearly sweetened his final home match at ASU with a goal of his own, but Appalachian’s season leader in both shots attempted and goals scored was satisfied with the win.

“There’s always disappointment in [not scoring]. I’m always trying to get on the board, help my team, do my job, but it’s not the end of the world,” Muniz said. “We have one more game and hopefully I can get something done there. We got the win, that’s the important thing.”

For Orelaja, who has anchored and helped to transform Appalachian’s defensive unit over the past two seasons, a zero on the board for the visiting team was all that he needed.

“Finally, it feels good to actually put up a zero, to help Collin [Taylor] in the back because he’s been doing a lot for us,” Orelaja said. “The defenders came through.”

Both seniors have seen significant progress in Appalachian’s youthful team over the year.

“It’s positive for what we’re leaving behind just to know that we’ve got some good guys here ready to step up that we can pass the torch on to,” Muniz said.

Photo by Casey Gahagan  |  The Appalachian

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