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Davidson, N.C. – The USC Upstate men's soccer team and goalkeeper Danny Alvarado turned in an impressive defensive performance and after 110 minutes, settled for a scoreless tie against Appalachian State in the opening game of the Davidson adidas Classic Saturday evening at Alumni Field at Davidson.
Upstate stands 2-1-1 on the year with the tie. Appalachian State, is also 2-1-1 on the year. Upstate will battle Davidson in the tournament finale Monday night at 7:00 p.m.
Appalachian State owned the edge in shots, 17-9, but Upstate's Alvarado (Leander, Texas) came up with several big saves, while the defensive unit rallied to block several shots.
"We had some big defending episodes," said Upstate head coach Greg Hooks. "The whole team defended well. Dani made three or four really big saves to keep them off the scoreboard and give us a chance."
Appalachian State had a size advantage and used that edge to get positioning for most of its shots. The Mountaineers played several balls in the air into the box, hoping to get behind the Upstate defense for either headers or one-touch shots. Upstate's defense either stepped in to block the shots or Alvarado made saves on the shots on goal.
Dave Musambi (Ottawa, Ontario) nearly put Upstate on the board in the 39th-minute. He took a pass and put a shot on goal, but the ball hit off the post to keep the game scoreless.
"We created some chances that their keeper saved or the ball hit the post," said Hooks. "The key was how we fought through regulation play and the two overtime periods. In keeping them from scoring, it allowed our chances to be more important. We weren't trying to tie the game, we were trying to win it."
While Upstate had a four-shot deficit in the first half, the Spartans and Mountaineers were nearly equal in creating chances. Appalachian State held a 6-5 lead in shots in the second half.
"There were two or three times when they got behind us," said Hooks. "They served the ball in, but Dani made a few point blank saves that were spectacular."
Alvarado finished the game with five saves on the night. The shutout was the third-straight for the sophomore keeper and the Upstate defense. Appalachian State's keeper, Danny Free, made two saves.
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