SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - The No. 13 Bloomsburg men's soccer team finished with a 0-0 draw at Steph Pettit Stadium against Shippensburg on Wednesday evening.

In what proved to be a season-long stalemate, the Huskies (6-0-6, 2-0-4 PSAC East) finished with a 12-4 advantage in shots that did not materialize into anything against the Raiders (3-5-4, 0-3-3 PSAC East). Wednesday's matchup ended with more offside whistles between the two sides (6) than total shots on target (4).

How It Happened:
Shippensburg took the first crack on frame of the afternoon, with both of its shots on net coming at the bookends of each half. Ethan Paulukow for the Raiders put Peter Punchello (Jamison, Pa./William Penn Charter) into action early with an effort from rolled outside the box and into the goalkeepers' gloves. Inside the final minute of the first half, Nat Thompson had the best chance of the day for Shippensburg, creating space just inside the box. His attempt, however, had a straight path into the grasp of Punchello.

Bloomsburg created one of the best opportunities of the afternoon on a free kick. With several players crowding the ball, it was Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) who stepped up for a rip at the net, with his effort aimed at the far post, missing the inside mark and bouncing out and back into play before being cleared. Logan Savage (Bensalem, Pa./Archbishop Wood) had a good opportunity from a goal kick that took a bounce in Shippensburg's defensive half, allowing the sophomore to race by the backline untouched. Forced wide by a chasing mark, Savage's effort went high and wide of its intended target inside the near post.

The other significant chance in the final third for the Huskies came with several minutes remaining, as Bloomsburg looked to counter. Braden Alicea (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland) played Connor Fiadino (Burlington, N.J./Burlington Township) and Jaliyl Melvin (Mount Holly, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) down the left wing, with Fiadino getting on the end of the ball. His pass found the feet of Melvin, who beat one defender and looked to be clean through on net. The winger came up from his shot attempt, agasp, thinking that shove in the back on his follow-through would warrant a penalty whistle that never rang.

It was the Raiders who came out of the break with the better creation out of possession through the first 10 minutes of the second half. In that time frame, Shippensburg managed to get up its final two shots of the afternoon. 

The Huskies turned to unlikely sources in hopes of breaking the deadlock. In his first career start, Nick Guzak (Washington Township, N.J./Washington Township) managed to find opportunities to pressure the Raiders' defense. His first shot on target came on a low-driven ball from outside the box without much challenge for Shippensburg goalkeeper Ryan Krumenacker. His second shot of the match came on a header that went just over the crossbar after Bloomsburg drew a free kick in a dangerous area. Micah Diggs (Groton, Conn./Fitch) similarly had a near-miss on a whipping shot that curled away from the top-left corner before going out of play for a goal kick.

In a game that went back and forth, it was the Huskies who made the last-ditch effort for the goal. With the Raiders sitting back in shape in hope of a counter, Bloomsburg was able to get bodies forward for its final two opportunities. Kody Besser (Lacey Township, N.J./Lacey Township) had a shot on a scramble in the box that deflected off a Shippensburg defender for a corner kick. Zayd DeVeaux (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside Chestnut Hill Academy) sent in the outswinger, with Diggs getting a strong connection that, one final time, to the dismay of the Huskies, ended off the frame to lead into the final whistle.

Number of Note:
180 - The contests between Bloomsburg and Shippensburg proved to be defensive stalemates. The two sides went a full 180 minutes across two matches without a goal scored. The two draws this season are the only other scoreless endeavors, with the last occurrence before this season's meetings coming in 2008.

On the Horizon:
The Huskies take the road on Saturday, October 25, at 12:00 p.m. for another pivotal PSAC contest against West Chester.