BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Top-seeded and 22nd-ranked Campbell scored on four of its first five shots and went on to defeat Belmont 7-1 Thursday night in the semifinal round of the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship at the Eakes Athletic Complex.
Richard Jata scored twice and assisted on another, while Josue Soto and Justin Madrid provided a pair of assists each as the Camels (14-5-0) broke a school record with their 12th-straight victory. Campbell’s offensive outburst marked the team’s highest scoring effort since a 7-0 victory over Stetson during the 2005 season.
The 2008 A-Sun player of the year, Jata tied the A-Sun single-season record with his seventh game-winning goal of the season. Clay Smith of the College of Charleston netted seven winners during the 1992 campaign. Campbell’s 1970 club won 11-straight contests, a mark equalized in both 1973 and 1974.
CU has not lost since a 3-2 setback Sept. 23 at William & Mary.
Campbell, which moved up two spots to number-22 in this week’s Soccer America poll, also improved to 20-0-1 in games when Jata scores since the senior from Port Richey, Fla., joined the program in 2006.
It took just 2:57 for the Camels to move in front and the lead was four before a quarter hour elapsed as Vince Petrasso, Jata, Pat Danford and Soto hit the nets.
Campbell will face second-seeded Jacksonville in Saturday’s 3:00 p.m. title contest in a rematch of last year’s final where the Camels claimed the trophy in penalties (5-4) after the teams played to a 1-1 draw. Saturday’s contest also marks Campbell’s third A-Sun final trip in the last four years.
In Thursday’s first semifinal, Jacksonville’s Kristian Lassen scored his second goal of the match as the Dolphins equalized at 2-2 with 3:32 remaining in regulation. JU then advanced to the final with a 4-1 decision in penalties over third-seeded Lipscomb.
“Belmont played 107 minutes yesterday, so the only way to make them feel that was to jump on them early. I believe in this team and their abilities. They’re fantastic going forward and been very good in the last month and growing as a defensive group.”
Campbell’s seven-goal outburst topped its previous school mark for goals scored in an A-Sun tournament match which the Camels set in a 6-1 victory over Gardner-Webb in last year’s first-round match. The output was the most scored by an A-Sun team in a league semifinal since Houston Baptist defeated Samford 12-0 in 1985.
Before three minutes had elapsed Thursday night, Soto played a ball over the top and Petrasso ran by the Belmont back four to register his seventh goal of the year. Jata then scored in the box 1:19 later after Madrid and Soto linked passes.
In the 11th minute, Madrid played the ball to Pat Danford, who normally plays a defensive midfield role, but the junior from Cary, N.C. dribbled into the area and hit a right-footed shot into the net for his first goal of the season.
Less than four minutes later, Austin Skakle’s pass sprang Jason Keever free in the area and Belmont keeper Janrai Gravely fouled the junior forward setting up Soto’s penalty kick, which provided a 4-0 edge.
Stephen Oyuga’s head off Jata’s free kick pushed the margin to 5-0 in the 29th minute, then Jata scored on a 30-yard direct kick over the Belmont wall and into the upper left corner of the net at 31:02.
The lead nearly hit seven in the 62nd minute, but Belmont back-up keeper Wesley Wray saved Keever’s penalty kick.
Khalil Johnson provided CU’s final goal in the 77th minute on Kyle Proctor’s through ball that left the sophomore from Jamaica in a one-on-one situation with Wray.
Belmont was able to salvage a goal in the 79th minute when Taylor Preston turned a the top of the area and hit a left-footed shot to end Camel keeper Aaron Johnson’s scoreless string at 6:49 minutes.
The fifth seeded Bruins (11-8-2) were coming off Wednesday’s 4-3 double-overtime victory vs. Stetson.
The Camels and Johnson, who was named Tuesday as the A-Sun Defensive Player of the Year, entered Thursday night’s contest on a school-record six-game shutout streak.
Campbell extended its unbeaten streak to 16 games (14-0-2) against A-Sun opponents, including this season’s perfect 9-0-0 mark in league regular season play. The Camels also ran their perfect home field record to 9-0-0 in 2008.
CU finished Thursday’s contest with a 17-7 edge in shots, 12-3 in shots on goal. The Camels took five corner kicks to three for the visitors.
Courtesy: GoCamels.com