By Rachael Cataldo
Asst. Sports Editor
The Susquehanna men’s soccer team defeated Juniata 2–1 in a conference matchup on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at Gibbel Stadium in Huntingdon, Pa..
The River Hawks (2–10–2, 1–3–1) started the game with control of possession, with two corner kicks in the first few minutes of action.
The Eagles (4–9–2, 0–5–0) answered with two shots on goal but both were stopped by junior goalkeeper Matt Ellingworth.
Sophomore forward Chris Naiman scored a goal in the 31st minute to get the River Hawks on the board.
For the remainder of the first half and most of the second half, the score remained 1–0 with a Susquehanna lead. Susquehanna had a few scoring chances in the second half to extend its lead.
Freshman midfielder Liam Fitzgerald had a header that sailed wide. Sophomore defender Scott Mission had another header that just missed the target.
The Eagles bounced back in the 89th minute of action on a loose ball.
Freshman forward Bass Diakhoumpa scored Juniata’s lone goal into the right side of the net.
Neither team could score in the final minute of action and the conference foes went into overtime.
The River Hawks were able to fend off a shot on goal by Juniata.
Mission got a hold of a loose ball from a free kick and scored a goal to end the game with a 2–1 victory.
Susquehanna outshot Juniata 17–11 and took 11 corner kicks compared to the Eagles’ one.
Naiman led Susquehanna with six shots total and two shots on goal.
Also contributing shots for the River Hawks were Mission, sophomore midfielder Dakota Dobrovich-Fago, and senior midfielder Eric Dempsey.
Susquehanna continues its Landmark Conference play and returns to action at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20 against Scranton for a senior day matchup in Selinsgrove.
Scranton currently has a 4–8–2 overall record and a 2–3 record in the conference.
Susquehanna will look to close out the last three games of its season with the matchup against Scranton, a game against Misericordia at home, and the final game at Drew in Madison, N.J.
