Box Score

BLOOMSBURG—Two penalty-kick goals were too much for the Huskies to overcome as St. Thomas Aquinas College defeated Bloomsburg University, 3-1, in non-conference action Thursday evening at Redman Stadium.

The Huskies (0-1) scored the first goal of their 2010 campaign early in the first half as freshman Cale Bauer (Fleetwood, Fleetwood) received a cross from classmate Francis Miller (Doylestown, Central Bucks East) and slipped it past Spartan keeper Andrew Tartara (Bardonia, N.Y., Albertus Magnus), putting the Huskies up 1-0 in the 4th minute.

In the 12th minute, St. Thomas Aquinas (1-0) pushed the pressure and drew a foul deep in the Bloomsburg box. The Spartans were awarded a penalty kick and senior Christopher Hernandez (Middletown, N.Y., Minisink Valley) slammed the ball into the top right corner, evening the score at 1-1.

St. Thomas Aquinas took the lead in the 27th minute, when James Earl (New Paltz, N.Y., New Paltz) followed up a rebound with a one-touch a shot into the left of the net. Moments earlier, sophomore Daniel Devren (Pearl River, N.Y., Nanuet) attempted a blast from 10 yards out, and Bloomsburg keeper Ramon Lobo Jr. (Dillsburg, Northern) made a reaction save to keep the ball out of the net. Unfortunately, it dropped into perfect position for Earl, who gave the Spartans a 2-1 advantage going into the break.

Early-season jitters were apparent from both squads, and after a number of aggressive challenges left players from both players shook up on the turf, both teams showed signs of frustration.

With time slipping away and their tempers flaring, the Huskies began to break down mentally. Senior John Fitzgerald V (Budd Lake, NJ, Mount Olive) was called for a hand ball in the box, giving Sean Reily (Monroe, N.Y.) a chance to open up the Spartan lead. The sophomore midfielder had no issue sinking the penalty, and St. Thomas Aquinas secured the 3-1 victory.

In goal for the Huskies, Lobo had a rough start to college career, tallying six saves while allowing the three goals. Tartara recorded three saves between the pipes for the Spartans, as both goalies served the full 90 minutes.

Bloomsburg next faces Seton Hill on Saturday, September 4, when the team faces the Griffons of Seton Hill University at 7 p.m. in Sports Stadium. The Spartans will travel to Lock Haven University for their next match on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Box Score