By Anthony Heller
SELINSGROVE, Pa.
Susquehanna Men’s Soccer picked up a long-awaited win in its last home game on Wednesday night, beating Marywood 3-0 at Sassafras Field. The River Hawks were in control right from the kickoff, going on to lead 2-0 inside the first fifteen minutes.
Marywood was down to bare bones, missing six injured players from an already thin squad that saw two goalkeepers on the field and only 17 active players. The River Hawks, however, were back to full strength as both Mike Morelli and Ben Sweeney returned from injury, coming on in the second half.
The hosts opened the scoring seven minutes in with their first shot. TJ Grube picked out Max Paczewski with a low ball into the penalty area, and the sophomore scored from a Grube assist for the second game running.
The River Hawks didn’t take much longer to go two up. In the 14th minute, Sean Kellogg played a dangerous cross that was touched down by a Marywood defender. The touch let the defender down, and Adrian Dilascio was on hand to poke in a second from close range.
Tommy O’Keefe and Seth Sidle also started alongside Dilascio and Paczewski in attacking roles in Jim Findlay’s 4-2-3-1 system, each impressing in their respective positions. Sidle was out wide on the left wing with O’Keefe playing center. The River Hawks dominated the stat sheet in the opening 45 minutes, taking nine shots compared to the Pacers’ four. Unfortunately, Sam Netzley couldn’t see out the half after coming on as he was forced off with a knee injury. Netzley said that he hoped to be able to play at Drew this weekend and that he was fortunate to not hear a pop in his knee that would be a sign of a more serious injury.
The opening minutes of the second half saw O’Keefe finish acrobatically from a Grube cross, but the sophomore’s goal was chalked off as the linesman had his flag up, as O’Keefe had been in an offside position when Grube delivered from deep.
The River Hawks continued to knock on the door, consistently getting up the pitch and troubling the Marywood defense. The Pacers had their moments on the counterattack, but every shot they kicked was repelled by first-year goalkeeper Tony Burns, who claimed his second clean sheet of the season.
The River Hawks only got the third just twenty seconds from time, Walter Wyatt whipping in a corner that was headed home by first-year Calvin Paulick. His goal marked a milestone in what has been an impressive first season for the Michigan-born midfielder that he capped off with his first collegiate goal.
The River Hawks’ win was their first home win this season, and they will conclude their campaign at Drew this weekend. Several players credited the support in the packed Sassafras bleachers, as the fans were loud all night.
