SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The No. 19 Bloomsburg men's soccer team could not convert in the attacking third on Wednesday afternoon, leading to a 0-0 draw on the road against Shippensburg.

The Huskies (4-0-4, 1-0-2 PSAC East) had numerous chances on goal. Still, they could not come away with a decisive finish against the Raiders (3-4-2, 0-2-1 PSAC East), whose efforts on Wednesday were primarily focused on holding shape and successfully keeping Bloomsburg from finding the back of the net. 

How It Happened:
The Huskies put immense pressure in front of the goal by creating dangerous scenarios off of set pieces from the opening whistle. Kody Besser (Lacey Township, N.J./Lacey Township) tested Shippensburg early with a flicked-on header in front of the goal that was corralled amongst a sea of bodies. 

Bloomsburg came close on several additional attempts from the open field inside the first 20 minutes. Sam Blumberger (Colchester, Conn./Bacon Academy) took a long-range crack from just outside the box that did not tail enough to force more than a catch out of the Raiders' goalkeeper. Connor Fiadino (Burlington, N.J./Burlington Township) forcibly shook the crossbar with an effort from distance that narrowly missed its mark. In the 18th minute, the Huskies missed what was a golden opportunity, as a long ball deep into the half forced the Shippensburg goalkeeper out of the box. Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) blocked the attempted clearance and had a wide-open net. Ultimately, the forward rushed the shot attempt off the initial touch to get the shot on frame, as it petered just outside the post. 

An attempted poke in front of the net, this time coming from Owen Peri (Dallastown, Pa./Dallastown), forced another save from the Raiders, as neither team would manage an attempted shot for the next 15 minutes. Once again, it was Bloomsburg forcing initiative, as Logan Savage's (Bensalem, Pa./Archbishop Wood) effort outside the box came with too much momentum as it soared over the crossbar. Caleb Sitler (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra) had the final shot at goal for the Huskies in the first half, with his stepped-into effort gliding straight to the center of the net and into the hands of the goalkeeper.

The Huskies were in control for most of the first half, holding Shippensburg to just one shot in the opening five minutes of the match, entering halftime.

Hollobaugh once again was well-positioned to put Bloomsburg in front, with the next big chance coming inside a minute out of the break. A broken play left the junior unmarked in the box, but before he could square up a clean shot, a crunching tackle from behind took him out, resulting in a corner. A blocked shot from Jake Pacacha (Shelton, Conn./St. Joseph) would be the next attempt for the Huskies in the 63rd minute, as it took the Raiders nearly 70 minutes before recording their second shot of the contest with 72:42 gone by. 

Shippensburg, catching Bloomsburg out of position at times while pressing for the game-winner, found chances of its own with its own set pieces and play on the counter. The team's lone shot on goal came in the 80th minute, with Anthony Weekley breaking free into open space and putting a shot aimed for the bottom corner on target before the Huskies' goalkeeper, Peter Punchello (Jamison, Pa./William Penn Charter), snatched it. The raiders, with possession in the closing moments, fired off numerous shots to no avail as the game finished scoreless.

On the Horizon:

The Huskies return to Steph Pettit Stadium on Saturday, October 11, at 1:00 p.m. for a contest against Millersville and to celebrate Senior Day.