By Alex Kurtz, Sports Editor
Thanks to a goal in the 61st minute from junior midfielder Alex Graul, the Susquehanna men’s soccer team shutout visiting Misericordia on Wednesday, Oct. 24 in Selinsgrove.
Graul’s game-winner came off a pass from sophomore defender Kyle Trainor, who sent a ball into the box where Graul tapped it over Cougars’ freshman goalkeeper Andrew Daubenspeck.
Freshman goalkeeper Kyle Speckhart made four saves on the night for the River Hawks. Sophomore defender Scott
Misson led the team with four shots. Two of which were on goal but neither found the back of the net.
The River Hawks took the first shot of the game on a kick from sophomore defender Jacob Butzler, but the shot would go wide and the game remained scoreless.
Misericordia would take two shots in the next fifteen minutes, but neither of them would find the net as well. Speckhart would block the first attempt off of a header from junior midfielder Nick Szczerba, and the other shot would be blocked.
Sophomore forward Chris Naiman would attempt a header in the 24th minute, but Cougars sophomore midfielder Dylan Molyneaux would make a defensive save to keep the ball out of the net.
The River Hawks had a good chance to get on the board in the 28th minute on a corner kick, but freshman midfielder Liam Fitzgerald’s header would go wide of the net.
After a Susquehanna foul, sophomore midfielder Connor McCarthy would pick up Misericordia’s first yellow card
of the match in the 28th minute of the contest.
Cougars’ senior forward Ethan Aigeldinger would pressure the Susquehanna defense with two shots on goal, but Speckhart would make both saves to keep the game scoreless.
Susquehanna sophomore forward Jack Levy picked up the first yellow card for the River Hawks right before the end of the first half of play, and the half ended with the score tied at zero.
Misson would begin the first half with a close header, but Daubenspeck would make the save on the play. Susquehanna would continue to pressure the Cougars defense with two more shots in the next five minutes, but neither would be on target for the River Hawks.
After a Misericordia substitution, Susquehanna would finally find the back of the net on Graul’s goal on a pass from Trainor to give the River Hawks a 1–0 lead.
Daubenspeck would not have time to rest after the goal though, as Naiman would put another shot on target less
than a minute after Graul’s goal. The Misericordia keeper would make the save though and the score would continue to be a 1–0 Susquehanna lead.
After another shot from Misson would go wide, the Cougars would make a mass subsitution to bring fresh legs onto the field. The move would nearly pay off as freshman midfielder Joseph Crisafi would nearly find the back of
the net, but Speckhart would make the save once again.
Crisafi’s shot would be the last real scoring chance for Misericordia, as the Susquehanna defense would sure up for the next 26 minutes to pick up the victory.
With the win, Susquehanna booked their third win of the season. The team currently remains seventh in the Landmark Conference after the non-conference victory.
The men’s soccer team will return to action on Saturday Oct. 27 when they head to Madison, N.J. to face Drew.
The Rangers come into the contest 10–5 on the season and 4–2 in Landmark Conference play, which currently is third behind Elizabethtown (5–0–1) and Catholic (5–1).
Game time is 1 p.m.