BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - No. 18 Bloomsburg men's soccer recollected itself after a scoreless first half to come away with a 4-0 win at Steph Pettit Stadium against Dominican (NY) Wednesday evening. 

Despite 11 first-half shots for the Huskies, the team could only put one on target in their attacking efforts. In the final 45 minutes, Bloomsburg took advantage of an overly aggressive Chargers side, firing off another 16 shots, converting four, and coming away with the victory. 

Patrick Walsh (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) opened the scoring with the Huskies' first two goals to set his team up for success. Parker Nickelsen (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) netted his first goal of the season in the 87th minute, while Logan Savage (Bensalem, Pa./Archbishop Wood) scored his first career goal by converting from the penalty spot. 

Bloomsburg improves to 13-2-1 overall, while Dominican falls to 2-11-1 on the season.

How It Happened:

Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) was the early offensive target for the Huskies, generating several shots inside the first 15 minutes of play. Bloomsburg looked to use its size advantage from various set pieces to find the opening tally but could not do so in the first half. Hollobaugh's shot inside the first four minutes of action was the Huskies' lone shot on target in the contest.

The advantages for Bloomsburg did not reside with just shots, as the Huskies were also better at generating chances. The Maroon & Gold ended the first 45 minutes with a 5-1 edge in corner kick opportunities. Despite the chances, Bloomsburg and Dominican entered the second half knotted at 0-0, with the Huskies needing to adjust.

Bloomsburg found its answer not once but four times in the second half en route to the victory. The Huskies took five more cracks at goal before netting the opener in the 64th minute. After Bloomsburg won a free kick, Kody Besser (Lacey Township, N.J./Lacey Township) stood inside his own half before launching the ball forward into the Chargers' box. After the ball bounced off a couple of heads, Walsh collected the ball with his right foot and swung the ball to his right to fire home a shot into the bottom right corner for the 1-0 lead.

Walsh and the Huskies kept the pressure going, eventually doubling the advantage in the 78th minute. Teagan Wallace (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) sent in a long throw from the far side that connected with the head of Besser. The defender flicked it on to his backline partner, with Walsh again getting a collecting touch, this time flicking the ball up and firing home the volley for the 2-0 advantage. Walsh finished with his third career brace and his second in as many matches.

As Bloomsburg settled further into the match, more began to go in its favor. Working out of the far-side corner, Anthony Schlee (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley) dribbled the ball out before a deflection off a Dominican defender landed back at his feet. The forward sent Nickelsen in with a well-weighted through ball to give his fellow senior the time and momentum to fire the ball across goal for a three-goal edge.

The final scoring chance of the night came to the dismay of the Chargers with a blown whistle for a handball in the box. With several seniors on the field, the team gave the green light to the freshman Savage on the penalty spot. The Bensalem, Pa. native placed a well-struck kick into the top left corner for his first goal in Maroon & Gold and the exclamation on the win. 

Numbers of Note:

9 - Brady Rimple (Cherryville, Pa./Northampton Area) was not challenged for much of Wednesday's contest, but his consistency in goal has been a steadying force for Bloomsburg all season. After setting the career shutout record in his last appearance, Rimple's ninth clean sheet of this season gives the graduate goalkeeper the single-season program record.

10 - The Huskies have gotten support and stellar performances across the board, supplying results into the win column. Since September 25, the Bloomsburg men's soccer team is on a 10-game winning streak. The stretch is the longest in program history, dating back to 1980.

1 - The cumulative defensive effort from the Huskies has been a predominant marker for the team's success. Bloomsburg held Dominican to one shot in the contest, making it the third consecutive game holding an opponent to two or fewer for a full 90 minutes. 

7 - Thanks in part to his uncanny positioning and timely finishing, Walsh leads the Huskies in goals this season with seven. With his second effort of the game, Walsh enters a tie for the eighth most goals in a season in program history. 

On the Horizon: 
The Huskies wrap up their non-conference schedule in their home regular-season finale on Saturday, November 2, against Georgian Court at 1:00 p.m. while celebrating Senior Day.