By Pat Delp Staff writer
The Susquehanna men’s soccer team increased its win streak to three games as the team picked up its first conference win against rival Catholic by a score of 1-0 on Sept. 24, followed by a 1-0 win over host Penn State Harrisburg on Sept. 28.
It was the River Hawks’ first in-conference contest in their young season, and starting with a win is incredibly important to the team.
“Every win from here on out is extremely important,” senior midfielder Nick Fecci said. “You need to win as many conference games as you can have a chance to be playing in November. We accomplished this win as a team. Our moral and energy was incredible. We believed in everyone and from the moment we walked into the locker room in the morning we knew it was going to be a good day.”
It was Fecci who scored the game’s only goal off a pass from sophomore midfielder Eric Dempsey just a minute into the contest.
The Susquehanna defense rose to the occasion, holding the Cardinal attack to just eight shots on net.
Freshman starting goalie Matt Ellingworth was able to save all eight shots on net, and his performance was good enough to earn him the Landmark Conference Men’s Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week.
Senior midfielder Garian Lashley reiterated the importance of defense. He said: “Team defense is what we preached coming into the game and we were able to execute. Two back-to-back shutouts is huge after previously allowing 14 goals against in five games prior to our two wins.”
The River Hawks improved their overall record to 3-5-1 and their Landmark Conference record to 1-0.
On Wednesday, Sept. 28, the men’s soccer team traveled to Penn State Harrisburg to take on the Lions. The River Hawks won the game 1-0.
The teams remained scoreless until Dempsey ripped the go-ahead goal past the Penn State Harrisburg keeper with eleven minutes remaining in the first half.
Senior defender Jeremy Motsko was credited with the assist.
The teams were equally matched throughout the contest, accumulated similar stat lines.
Each team tallied three shots in the first half, but Susquehanna set itself apart in the second half, shooting eight compared to the Lion’s three.
Both teams were also evenly matched when it came to corner kicks, racking up seven apiece.
Ellingworth picked up the win in goal for the River Hawks while Brandon Hoover took the loss for Penn State Harrisburg in goal.
The River Hawks handed the Lions their fourth loss of the season, while Susquehanna recorded their fourth win, turning around what was a slow start to their season.
Up next for Susquehanna is another road test, this time against the Gophers of Goucher. The game will be Susquehanna’s second conference matchup of the season, after winning its first game against Catholic.
The River Hawks will try to extend their three-game winning streak on Saturday, Oct. 1.
