SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - The No. 13 Bloomsburg men's soccer team took advantage of two early first-half goals to come away with a 3-1 victory on the road against Shepherd Saturday afternoon.

The Huskies (6-0-5, 2-0-3 PSAC East) could not have asked for a better start to the contest, netting two goals inside the first seven minutes of the match. Connor Fiadino (Burlington, N.J./Burlington Township) opened the scoring before a follow-up goal from Zayd DeVeaux (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside Chestnut Hill Academy), giving both players their first goals as members of the Huskies. After the Rams (5-7, 2-3 PSAC East) made it a 2-1 contest minutes into the second half, Bloomsburg stared down a vigilant home side desperate for an equalizer. The Huskies got their insurance goal late with a final touch from Caleb Sitler (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra) to keep Bloomsburg in stride. 

How It Happened:
The Huskies' augmented approach to dead balls in their most recent matches has paid dividends, and the trend continued into the weekend contest. The scoring began from a Micah Diggs (Groton, Conn./Fitch) long throw into the box, with continuation aided by a flick-on from Kody Besser (Lacey Township, N.J./Lacey Township). Besser's headed pass bounced off the hands of Shepherd goalkeeper Aidan Houck. Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) was in a position to capitalize on the spillage, as his follow-up shot ricocheted off the underside of the crossbar. Fiadino similarly found himself in a poacher's position, beating the Rams' defense to the ball to put away the opening goal.

Bloomsburg followed up their first goal created from a long throw-in with a second, as the Huskies doubled their advantage mere minutes later. Diggs once more launched a ball deep into Shepherd's box, with this insertion taking a bounce. The ball was headed by a Bloomsburg player along the end line back towards the center, subsequently rolling off of Owen Peri (Dallastown, Pa./Dallastown) and to the feet of DeVeaux. The sophomore midfielder squared up for a first-time hit, hammering home his first collegiate goal and registering his first career points.

From there, the contest became an exchange of possession with limited chances on net, as both teams had their sights set on walling up the defenses. Despite flashes on both ends of the field, neither side could recreate the opening fireworks of the first few minutes as the score remained 2-0 at halftime. 

Not losing faith in their home field, the Rams came out and cut into the deficit less than two minutes into the final 45 minutes. Shepherd was able to work out wide, where leading scorer Josh Petty turned provider for the Rams, whipping in a cross to a well-positioned Mac Long for a header into the bottom right corner. Shepherd continued to apply pressure in the Huskies' half, drawing five corners in the time following what was its lone goal of the match.

Bloomsburg managed to piece together another sequence of scrappy play to net its third and final goal of the day. The build-up began after the Huskies recycled play from a free kick, with DeVeaux eventually coming into possession before sending Sam Blumberger (Colchester, Conn./Bacon Academy) through down the right wing. Blumberger then sent a looping ball into the box, as a play in front of the goal resulted in several bodies hitting the floor. As the scramble continued, Sitler proved to be in the right place at the right time, streaking in to slot the ball into the back of the net and solidify the Bloomsburg victory. 

Number of Note:
3 - In a season where goals have been hard to come by at times for the Huskies, Saturday was a breath of fresh air. The three scores for Bloomsburg are the most for the team in a match this season, and just the fourth contest this season with multiple goals. The Huskies now have at least two goals in two of their five games against PSAC East opponents this season.

On the Horizon:
The Huskies return to Steph Pettit Stadium on Wednesday, October 22, at 4:00 p.m. to take on Shippensburg and kick off the second half of the PSAC slate.