WILMINGTON, Del. – Freshman Alex Wilsterman (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) made his mark on the Bloomsburg University men's soccer team as his first goal for the Maroon & Gold came in the 88^th minute to lift the Huskies to a 2-1 win over Goldey-Beacom College, Thursday. The Huskies begin the season 1-0 while the Lightning starts the year 0-1.

The 2-1 win marks the first for Mark Bassett as head coach of the Huskies.
 
With the clock ticking down and the score tied at 1-1, the Huskies did not take their foot off the gas, and after a foul on Goldey-Beacom, Wilsterman collected a long pass in from redshirt junior Olly Whitham (Clitheroe, Lancashire, England/Settle College) and buried his first collegiate goal to give Bloomsburg a 2-1 lead with 2:42 to play in regulation. Bloomsburg was called for a foul in the final minutes, but no harm was done as the Huskies' defense held off any counterattack from the Lightning.
 
Some fireworks from Whitham set up the late-game heroics for the freshman. In the 80^th minute, a blocked shot and hard foul in the box awarded the Huskies a penalty shot. With the Huskies down 1-0, Whitman stepped to the penalty spot and finished his shot inside the left post to tie the game at 1-1. The PK sparked the Bloomsburg defense as the Huskies did not allow a Goldey-Beacom shot for the rest of the game.
 
After a balanced first half, the Lightning held a 1-0 lead thanks to a goal in the 40^th minute from Alex Alquier. Redshirt freshman Collis Helenie tried for the equalizer as the horn sounded for the end of the first half but was turned away by GBG keeper Pedro Santolaya.
 
The two teams were relatively evenly matched in the first half, as Bloomsburg held a slight 5-2 advantage in shots. The Husky offense came alive in the second and out-shot the Lightning 10-3 in the second half and 15-5 for the game. Bloomsburg held a 9-4 advantage in corner kicks as well.
 
Redshirt sophomore Nathan Slotnick (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) needed two saves to pick up his first win in net for the season, while his Goldey-Beacom counterpart, Santolaya, made four saves in the loss, including three in the first half.
 
Bloomsburg returns home on Sunday as the Huskies welcome Mercyhurst University to Steph Pettit Field for the first men's soccer game on the home turf since November 9, 2019. The Huskies and Lakers are set to kick off at noon on Sunday, September 5. Mercyhurst fell to West Liberty 3-1 in its season opener on Thursday.