Sophomore forward Erfan Imeni netted the only two goals during the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament on Sunday, giving the fourth-seeded Elon Phoenix a 2-0 win against the fifth-seeded Appalachian State Mountaineers and will play Furman Universty in the semi-finals.

The first half of play yielded only one shot on goal for Elon, while ASU managed to test Phoenix freshman goalkeeper Clint Irwin several times.

None of the three shots found the back of the net in the first half.

A faster, more physical battle ensued in the second frame, as both teams fought for the go-ahead goal.

“We lifted our urgency to start the second half,” coach Darren Powell said.

Imeni, who scored only one goal during the regular season, gave the Phoenix a 1-0 advantage at 62:25 on a direct kick from about 25 yards out.

Seconds later, the Mountaineers quickly attacked, nearly tying the game, but the shot from Arie Muniz hit the right post.

ASU’s best opportunity of the game came in the 81st minute when Irwin was whistled for a foul in the box, setting up a penalty kick. Michael Walters took the kick, but his shot hit the crossbar and the game remained at 1-0.

With seconds left in the match, senior forward Jon Juchno found Imeni in front of the net and Imeni buried his second goal of the game and sealed the win for Elon.

“I feel we can score from several different areas of the field,” Powell said. “It’s nice for Erfan to chip in with two goals. He deserved them and it will give him a big boost in confidence.”

The physical play of the game resulted in a pair of yellow cards for both teams. Elon’s sophomore forward Justin Wyatt and senior forward Douglas Boateng were both booked, but Powell said that he expects teams to play a more physical game at this point of the season.

“Both teams are wanting to advance in the playoffs,” Powell said. “People are going to show more of a physical presence on the field when everything’s on the line.”

What Powell was most impressed with was his team’s ability to adjust to position changes and substitutions during the game.

“We had to reshuffle at half time and I think that led to a couple of chances coming Appalachian’s way,” he said. “I think it shows great character and a great team effort to pull out that result.”

With the win, Elon secures its second consecutive winning season and will advance to play the top-seeded Furman Paladins on Friday. In their regular season meeting, the Phoenix lost to the Paladins 2-1. The semi-final game will be played at 4:30 p.m.

Reporter: Kris Moody - 11/14/07