By Pat Delp Staff writer
The Susquehanna men’s soccer team started off slow, but pulled away in the second half of a 3-0 victory in the team’s home opener against Elmira on Sept. 4.
The two teams battled back and forth to a 0-0 draw at the end of the first 45 minutes. It wasn’t until the 74th minute when a cross from junior forward Ryan Cronin was netted by freshman midfielder Alex Graul.
Despite getting off to a slow start offensively, the River Hawks piled on the goals late in the game. Just five minutes after the first goal, Cronin put in a goal of his own to put Susquehanna up by two goals.
In the 82nd minute, freshman midfielder Max Maidenberg sealed the game by scoring the team’s third and final goal.
Despite the win, the River Hawks know that there are places they need to improve upon.
“We need to start getting into the game earlier. We did a better job doing it last game, but we need to take more shots early on and test the goalkeepers,” senior midfielder Garian Lashley said in reflection.
The River Hawks were able to put seven shots out of 15 on net, compared to the four out of 12 shots that Elmira was able to put on net. Sophomore goalie Ian Lawlor was able to stop all of Elmira’s shots to pick up the victory and the shutout.
“We defended really well and that’s something we harp on all the time, playing great team defense, and I think that’s the best we’ve done so far,” senior midfielder Nick Fecci said.
Although it is still early in the season, playing great team defense is certainly a good sign for the now 1-1 River Hawks.
With their next game coming against Lycoming, a rivalry game deemed the “Battle of the Boot,” Fecci talked about what the team needs to improve upon moving forward.
“We need to get a little more aggressive on offense… We need to start scoring in the first half so we can put ourselves in a better position going into the second half,” Fecci said.
The men’s soccer team also played Lycoming on Wednesday in the Battle of the Boot where they lost 4-0. Jordan Logan and Kyle Mizell both accounted for two goals for Lycoming. Susquehanna took six shots on the afternoon.
The men’s soccer team is back in action on Saturday, Sept. 10 when they play No. 8 Ramapo at the Stockton Tournament.
