WEST CHESTER, Pa. - No. 13 Bloomsburg men's soccer suffered its first defeat of the season in a 1-0 decision at West Chester Saturday afternoon.

The Huskies (6-2-6, 2-1-4 PSAC East) gave up a first-half goal to the Golden Rams (6-5-2, 3-3-1) and struggled to finish on their chances. Despite several near conversions in the final 45 minutes, Bloomsburg could not surmount its troubles in finding the back of the net.

How It Happened:
West Chester dictated the early flow of the contest, keeping the Huskies on their heels throughout the early going. Maksym Komperda had a few early shots, with one forcing a save from goalkeeper Peter Punchello (Jamison, Pa./William Penn Charter). Mason Clatterbuck took over for the Golden Rams, as Punchello was called upon to make another stop. 

Bloomsburg looked to generate its offense through set pieces. Sam Blumberger (Colchester, Conn./Bacon Academy) recorded the first shot of the afternoon for the Huskies with a header from a free kick before nodding attempts by Kody Besser (Lacey Township, N.J./Lacey Township) and Nick Guzak (Washington Township, N.J./Washington Township).  

A period of exchanged possession eventually led to a set-piece chance for the home side. After the referee made the Golden Rams replay the initial kick after a declared quick start, West Chester capitalized. Owen Slack stood over an opportune ball from the left wing, aiming his pass for the penalty spot. With the entirety of play shifting centrally, it was Kenyon Carter for the Golden Rams who elevated above the crowd to head home the goal. 

Looking for an answer, the Huskies nearly had it in the closing minutes of the first half from a corner. Once again, Blumberger managed to find the space around the goal to elevate for his own header attempt. Unfortunately for the senior and his team, his nod drifted narrowly over the crossbar, resulting in a goal kick. 

Bloomsburg entered the second half in desperation for an equalizer, throwing everything they had at the chance to even the score. Stylistically, the Huskies continued to lean into generating set pieces, aiming for a direct style of play to connect just well enough to score. As Bloomsburg made its attempts to break through the West Chester defense, the Golden Rams had their opportunities at the counter, with the Huskies relying on Punchello to make several more stops. As time wound down, Blumberger and Bloomsburg were on the doorstep of finding the equalizer with another header, as the West Chester goalkeeper corralled the header attempt aimed at the bottom left corner with only a few inches to spare. 

Number of Note:
1043:35 - A long-standing streak for the Huskies came with the end of its 12-game unbeaten run. Saturday's contest marked just the second time this season the Huskies have trailed in a match, a stretch spanning over 1043 minutes of action. Before Saturday, Bloomsburg had not trailed since its season opener.

On the Horizon:
The Huskies look to bounce back with a trip back home to Steph Pettit Stadium to take on East Stroudsburg on Wednesday, October 28, at 7:00 p.m. in another pivotal PSAC matchup.