By Tre Shuttlesworth, staff writer
The Susquehanna men’s soccer team fell on the road to Penn State-Harrisburg 1–0 on Wednesday, Oct. 3.
The Nittany Lions (12–1) struggled to find any ground against the River Hawks, but finally broke through in the 86th minute thanks to a goal from senior midfielder Ethan Hoover on a penalty kick.
The match would get a quick start as Nittany Lions sophomore midfielder Alexander Wardle fired off two shots within the first six minutes, but the intensity quickly dwindled for the rest of the first half. Penn State-Harrisburg would post three shots in the half to Susquehanna’s two in the half, which came from senior forward Maxfield Reed and freshman midfielder Brian McKee.
Susquehanna saw more of an offensive display in the second half as Penn State-Harrisburg would fire six shots. Three yellow cards were also given out in the half.
With the clock slowly dwindling, Penn State-Harrisburg stepped up in the final 15 minutes and posted four shots. In the 86th minute, the Nittany Lions were able to draw a foul in the box to earn a penalty kick. Hoover was able to put the ball in the back of the net on the ensuing kick which secured the win for Penn State-Harrisburg.
Freshman goalkeeper Kyle Speckhart made three saves on the day. A commendable job from the Nittany Lion defense would keep sophomore goalkeeper Nicholas Guglielmetti fairly untested, as he would only block two shots on the day on route to his shutout victory.
Each squad were able to earn five corner kicks respectively but were unable to convert any attempts throughout the game.
A total of 28 fouls were committed by both sides throughout the match. Despite the rapid fire of fouls, only four yellow cards were distributed in the match.
The River Hawks will continue Landmark Conference play when they face Catholic (4–5) at Sassafras Field for a match on Saturday, Oct. 6.
Susquehanna will be looking for their first win in nearly three weeks against a struggling Catholic side that comes into Saturday’s match on a three-game losing streak and have lost four of their past five.
After a 2–1 win against Scranton on Sept. 22, the Cardinals have been outscored 9–2 in three-straight losses to Salisbury, Drew and St. Mary’s (Md.).
Game time for the River Hawks is at 1 p.m.