BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg men's soccer team secured a 1-0 win over Shepherd at Steph Pettit Stadium Wednesday afternoon.

With the match scoreless over 80 minutes in, the Huskies capitalized on a corner to come away with the victory. Freshman Adrian Rodriguez (Tarrytown, N.Y./Sleepy Hollow) serviced an in-swinging cross that connected with Bloomsburg-leading goal scorer Patrick Walsh (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) for his third of the season and the game-winner. 

Bloomsburg improves to 4-2-1 on the season and moves to .500 at 1-1-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division. Shepherd falls to 2-2-2 overall and 0-2 in conference play.

How It Happened:
The Huskies' advantage in the first half came from their ability to break down the possession efforts of the Rams and push forward offensively. Walsh had his first opportunity of the day inside three minutes of play with a header that drifted wide right off a free kick from Quaid Molino (Charleston, S.C./Wando (S.C.) / South Williamsport (Pa.)). Molino would have his own near-miss shot at goal after striking a deflected shot from the edge of the 18-yard box that drifted just over the crossbar inside nine minutes played.

Shepherd began inching itself into the match as time went on. In the 19th minute with its first two shots of the afternoon going into the 23rd. Walsh's aggressiveness continued to reveal itself throughout the match, with the senior finding himself in the right place for a shot again. The Macungie, Pa. native collected the ball off a failed headed clearance with a nifty touch onto his right foot with a liner aimed directly at the bottom right corner that was pushed out of play for a corner by Shepherd goalkeeper Aidan Houck.

The Huskies continued to barrage the Rams' backline into the closing moments of the opening half. The team had four shots and four corners in the closing 11 minutes of the half compared to zero in both categories for the visitors. Overall, Bloomsburg outshot Shepherd, 8-2, with a corner advantage of 6-2 through 45 minutes of action.

The Rams flipped the script in the second half, with their possession-based play impacting the Bloomsburg defense. As Shepherd's possession increased, so did its ability to generate chances. Despite Bloomsburg getting the first two shots of the second half, the Rams' build-up play began to creep into the Huskies' half.

Shepherd had its best chance of the afternoon in the 55th minute. After attempts to pass it around the back were foiled, Luke Barger poked a ball forward to the Rams' leading goal scorer, Donik Elshani. Elshani opened up his right foot and aimed for the lower-right corner, but his attempt was kicked up off the left foot of Brady Rimple (Cherryville, Pa./Northampton Area), making his first of five saves in the second half.

Sandwiched between a pair of yellow cards for the Rams, the visitors had a chance from Dylan Shepherd that rattled off the crossbar in a near-miss for the game's first goal. The Rams followed up that opportunity with a shot from Andrew West off a corner that was cleared away by Teagan Wallace (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) in front of goal. 

Time continued to tick off the clock as both sides pressed for the deciding effort. Jaliyl Melvin (Mount Holly, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) sparked the attacking effort, drawing the pivotal corner opportunity after driving down the left wing. With poise, the freshman Rodriguez placed a picturesque pass to Walsh, who elevated over the defense to lift the Huskies to the win. 

Numbers of Note:
13-6 - The Huskies were the more creative side throughout Wednesday's contest, finishing the day doubling the Rams in total shots.

10 -  Bloomsburg has proven to be an effective squad from set pieces, particularly from the corners. The skill in the air came to fruition for the Huskies on one of its 10 corner kicks.

On the Horizon: 
The Huskies are back on the road on Saturday, September 28, at 3:30 p.m. against Shippensburg.