BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg men's soccer team captured a critical out-of-conference victory Wednesday afternoon with a 4-1 decision on the road against St. Thomas Aquinas.

With the impressive victory, head coach Mark Bassett earned his 200th career win and his 41st leading the Maroon & Gold, now in his fourth season at Bloomsburg and 18th overall as a head coach.

The Huskies scored a season-high four goals in the win on Wednesday while holding one of the most potent and aggressive offenses in the nation to one goal. The defense took over the scoring for the opening goal as Braden Alicea (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland) connected with Kody Besser (Lacey Township, N.J./Lacey Township) on a corner to put Bloomsburg up 1-0. The Spartans answered later in the first half with a matching set-piece goal to tie the match at 1-1.

Bloomsburg scored three unanswered goals into the late stages of the second half to secure the victory. Anthony Schlee (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley) and Quaid Molino (Charleston, S.C./Wando (S.C.) / South Williamsport (Pa.)) responded a minute and a half following the goal from St. Thomas Aquinas, putting the Huskies out in front for good and leading to second-half goals from Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) and Alex Wilsterman (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) to add to the display.

Bloomsburg improves to 7-2-1 overall. St. Thomas Aquinas slips to 6-2-2 on the season.

How It Happened:
The Huskies determined the pace from the opening whistle by creating chances in front of the net. Molino recorded the first shot on goal 90 seconds in to challenge goalkeeper Johan Morales; Alicea had an opportunity to force a save at the nine-minute mark. The Spartans had two shots of their own inside the first 10 minutes, with the first going wide right and Brady Rimple (Cherryville, Pa./Northampton Area) making his first save at the 9:39 mark in the opening half.

Bloomsburg made its way on the scoreboard in the 16th minute, taking advantage of a corner routine. Alicea drifted a ball to the back post, finding a free Besser who had made his space to drive the ball past Morales for the lead. 
After several attempts on the net, St. Thomas Aquinas drew its own corner. Rafael Capella lined up for a hard-driven cross from the near side of the field, connecting with his target Uhunoma Ilekhuoba in front of goal, with his header sneaking over Rimple for the equalizer.

Implementing a high press, the Huskies forced a bad clearance from the Spartans to set up a throw near the box. After his throw was deflected out, Teagan Wallace (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) played Molino down the wing. The junior picked out Schlee, making a run to the front post and slotting home a header to give Bloomsburg the lead back. 

The two sides traded chances in the attacking third, but neither team would make a dent in the score before the halftime break. St. Thomas held an 8-6 shot advantage after the first 45 minutes, while the Huskies had six corner kicks to the host's two.

Bloomsburg wasted no time in the second half, adding to the tally four minutes after the whistle. The Huskies made headway playing along the right flank and took advantage of poor defending from the home side. After the ball was poked away from Alicea for a throw-in, Bloomsburg quickly reinserted the ball into play, back to Alicea, with the defender looping in a high-arcing ball in the center of the box. The pass allotted Hollobaugh time to square up the ball and pick out the bottom left corner for a two-goal advantage. 

The Huskies' pressure in their opponent's back third continued to cause issues for the Spartans, allowing Bloomsburg to continue peppering the goal and maintaining possession. The intensity paid off one final time in the 75th minute as the Huskies capitalized off another set-piece opportunity.

Adrian Rodriguez (Tarrytown, N.Y./Sleepy Hollow) took his space over the ball and launched a perfect pass to the back post over Morales to Schlee. Schlee got his head on the ball to beat the keeper as Wilsterman ran in to secure the goal and seal the game at 4-1. From then on, Bloomsburg further dominated the final stretch, giving up one shot to St. Thomas Aquinas in the final 15 minutes of action.

Numbers of Note:
200 & 41 - Bassett's impressive tenure through his first four seasons continues to cement his legacy in Bloomsburg men's soccer history. With his 41st win at Bloomsburg, Bassett continued building upon his coaching legacy with his 200th career victory.

4 - Entering Wednesday's contest, the Spartans were one of the more effective teams at putting shots on target. Bloomsburg matched St. Thomas Aquinas in total shots while holding the home side to four on net.

42 - With three points, Schlee extends his lead as the Huskies' active career point leader. The senior captain added three points with his goal and assist to give him 42 career points just past the halfway point in his final campaign. 

On the Horizon: 
The Huskies return to Steph Pettit Stadium on Saturday, October 12, at 3:00 p.m. for a matchup with PSAC West foe Seton Hill during Homecoming and Parents & Families Weekend.