Ian Rees scores Campbell’s third goal on Wednesday night.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)

BUIES CREEK — Campbell extended its unbeaten streak to 13 matches and stayed perfect at home Wednesday night with a 3-0 victory over Presbyterian in the Big South Conference men’s soccer tournament semifinals at the Eakes Athletic Complex.

The league regular-season champs will have the opportunity to defend their 2018 tournament crown Sunday on their home field when the top-seeded Camels (15-2-2) host second-seed High Point (13-6-0) at 2 p.m. for the Big South title and an automatic berth in the NCAA College Cup.

Big South attacking player of the year Thibaut Jacquel scored his 16th goal in the 41st minute. Jalen James and Ian Rees added strikes midway through the second half as Campbell logged its 10th shutout of the season while improving to 12-0-1 over its last 13 matches.

“The goal was big,” said Big South coach of the year Dustin Fonder. “Presbyterian was sitting off, blocking lanes and making it difficult. It’s always nice to find a second and third goal, so you don’t have to be mistake-free and that takes some of the pressure off.”

Samuel Lechuga made a key save midway through the second half to post his school record-tying ninth solo shutout of the year, while Alemu Mercer-Miko cleared a shot off the line in addition to providing his sixth assist of the season for the Camels, who improved to 9-0-1 at home and ran their goal differential in Buies Creek to 30-2.

“I’m proud of the group and the way they prepared after having 11 days off from our last match, and we looked pretty sharp. Now we’re on to a finals Sunday here at home. We’ve got to make sure we have a big crowd here so we can feed off their energy and make sure we perform.”

In a rematch of last year’s Big South final that Campbell won 1-0 in Clinton, S.C., Campbell patiently attacked the Presbyterian defense that kept 10 field players behind the ball. Just after 40 minutes, Alex Egeonu collected a failed clearance in the PC box and Blue Hose keeper Valentin Kliebe was able to deflect the initial shot, but unable to recover when Jacquel pounced on the rebound.

The goal was the 16th of the season for the junior from Saverne, France, who entered the contest fifth among the nation’s goal-scoring leaders.

After PC extended its midfield at the start of the second half, Campbell was able to add two more strikes just 4:35 apart to pad the lead. Franck Momo sent a free kick into the area that Eren Elbustu chested down and James slotted home his second goal of the season for a 2-0 lead at 67:45.

Less than five minutes later the lead was three when Adrian Morales laid the ball off to Mercer-Miko, who found Rees alone at the top of the area. A senior from Knebworth, England, Rees controlled the ball off his chest, and in one smooth motion laced a left-footed shot by Kliebe into the net for his fourth strike of the year.

Twice in the second half, PC forward Zachariah Diallo caused concern for the Camels – once on a high-lofted curling ball that Lechuga covered while making certain it hit off the top of the crossbar and went out for a goal kick in the 67th minute. Later, the PC striker broke free behind the Camel back line, but Lechuga charged off his line to make a goal-saving play.

In the 80th minute, Simen Johnasen directed the ball on target, but Mercer-Miko was in place to clear it off the line. PC had one more solid chance on a 22-yard free kick one minute later. Sergio Pinto curled the ball around the Campbell wall, but it bounded off the right post and the Camels cleared it from danger.

Campbell finished with an 8-6 edge in shots — seven of which were on target. The Camels have not trailed in a contest for the last 675 minutes — a span of more than seven matches – since Oct. 9.

Ranked 29th in this week’s College Soccer News Top-30 poll, the Camels are riding the program’s longest unbeaten streak since the 1971 squad fashioned a 14-0-1 stretch.

CU will host a league final for the first time since the 2008 Atlantic Sun Championship and face a High Point squad it defeated 2-1 just 11 days ago to secure the regular-season title.

High Point earned its Big South finals berth by defeating third-seeded Gardner-Webb 3-2 on Wednesday night.

(Campbell media services provided the basis for this report)

Jalen James (7) sends a shot to the net for CU in a 3-0 win.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)

Thibaut Jacquel (18) gets Campbell’s first goal in traffic.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)

Ian Rees (8) of the Camels intercepts a Presbyterian goal kick.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)

Keeper Samuel Lechuga takes possession for Campbell.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)

Gideon Betz advances the ball in Campbell’s Big South semifinal win.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)