BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - No. 24 Bloomsburg men's soccer pulled out all the stops in a 6-0 win at Steph Pettit Stadium over Shippensburg Saturday afternoon.

The Huskies got offense dictated the action, with Bloomsburg netting four goals in the first half and wrapping up with two in the second half. Patrick Walsh (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) opened the game with a goal inside the eighth minute and recorded his second career brace with a goal in the 24th minute. Zach Morales (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) and Anthony Schlee (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley) helped Bloomsburg to a 4-0 cushion in the opening half before goals from Kody Besser (Lacey Township, N.J./Lacey Township) and Jake Pacacha (Shelton, Conn./St. Joseph) sealed the deal. It is the first game for the Huskies with six goals since a 6-2 win over East Stroudsburg in 2022.

Bloomsburg improves to 12-2-1 overall and 7-1-1 against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division opposition. The Raiders drop to 2-12 on the season and 1-7 in conference play.

How It Happened:

The Huskies got the day going by scoring by taking advantage of a set piece. A ball sent into the box first connected with Besser, giving his team a chance to reset the scoring chance. Alex Wilsterman (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) got a piece of the ball to get it to Walsh. The senior took care of the rest with a tap-in to get Bloomsburg off to a flying start.

The Huskies kept firing away at the net, with Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) and Parker Nickelsen (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) recording near misses at goal to help extend the lead. The persistent pressure in front of goal paid off for Bloomsburg's second goal in the 19th minute. Nickelsen took another rip at goal to force a save from a busy Ryan Krumenacker. Morales took advantage of the rebound by slotting home the shot to make it 2-0. 

Walsh, Besser and Wilsterman combined for a second time on the afternoon for the third goal of the day. Besser again initiated the sequence with a header across the goal face to Wilsterman. The graduate midfielder settled the ball before parlaying a pass for a second time to Walsh for the defender's second career brace against the Raiders. Schlee and Pacacha closed out the half with another goal from a corner, with Pacacha finding Schlee directly for a header and a 4-0 lead after 45 minutes.

Bloomsburg returned to work in the second half, patiently biding time to strike again. Morales fired another shot to test Krumenacker, leading to a throw-in for the Huskies. Teagan Wallace (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) launched a long ball into the box to connect with Besser to start the second half, starting the first with a header for a 5-0 lead. 

As the Huskies turned to their bench, the effort from the home side did not diminish. Bloomsburg leaned on the counter-attack for the final goal of the day. Darwin Berger (North East, Md./North East) got control of the ball at the midfield before turning and threading a pass through the Shippensburg defense to Pacacha. Pacacha weaved his way around the Raiders' backline and Krumenacker to put away his second goal of the season. 

Numbers of Note:

19 - Rimple's Bloomsburg career has brought stability in his three years minding the net. With his eighth shutout of the season, Rimple became the career shutout record-holder with his 19th in Maroon & Gold.

6 - The Huskies scoring six goals is not uncommon. It is the third time under head coach Mark Bassett Bloomsburg has scored six goals in a game and the first since the Huskies scored six twice in 2022.

33-2 - Bloomsburg's dominance was displayed all across the pitch Saturday. The 33 total shots and the 31-shot advantage for the Huskies is the largest since the team's 7-0 win over Pitt-Johnstown, posting 34 shots in the contest and a 32-shot difference.

On the Horizon: 
The Huskies will return to Steph Pettit Stadium on Wednesday, October 30, to wrap up their non-conference slate. Bloomsburg opens the week at 6:00 p.m. with a contest against Dominican University (NY).