GREENSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg men's soccer team completed a bounce-back week with a 2-0 victory over Seton Hill Saturday afternoon.

After a goalless first half, the Huskies (2-0-2) converted their defense into offense with a pair of goals attacking the wings on the counter-attack. Jake Pacacha (Shelton, Conn./St. Joseph) scored the first off a tremendous field-switching pass from Theo Jackson (Elmore, Ohio/Woodmore) before Logan Savage (Bensalem, Pa./Archbishop Wood) similarly iced the game, cutting inside from the right wing with a leading pass from Braden Alicea (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland).

The win on Saturday caps off a two-game stretch against teams garnering consideration in the United Soccer Coaches National Poll, starting the week off with a 2-1 victory over No. 11 Felician and finishing it off with a win over a Griffins team (2-1) receiving votes.

How It Happened:
Bloomsburg had its sights set on a goal from the opening whistle, creating numerous chances in the early portions of the match. Savage made his presence felt early in the contest with a pair of attempts that went wide on both sides of the woodwork. Jackson looked to put his name on the scoresheet early, taking a crack from inside the half-line with the goalkeeper off his line that drifted off target. An eventful 10 minutes concluded for the Huskies with Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) finding space at the back post, but unable to come away with the opening score.

Peter Punchello's (Jamison, Pa./William Penn Charter) day officially began in the 17th minute with his first save of the contest. Seton Hill launched a long ball that took a bounce and allowed James Aubrey to get a step on the Huskies' back four. The attacker angled toward the near post, with the effort comfortably secured by Punchello.

Freshman Alex Hess (Oyster Bay, N.Y./Oyster Bay) got involved in the opening half with a pair of shot attempts. The attacker took his first crack after intercepting a build-up pass from distance and later had an attempt in the box blocked by a Seton Hill defender. Bloomsburg's efforts from set pieces additionally came up empty in the first half, with Kody Besser's (Lacey Township, N.J./Lacey Township) header attempt at the back post narrowly redirected by Griffins' goalkeeper Janik Reiss.

Pacacha nearly started the scoring in the 49th minute of the match, as the Huskies continued to create chaos in the box. A long throw bounced off the clashing bodies around near the front post, with the ball trickling to the feet of Pacacha for a first-time effort that skipped into the hands of Reiss. Bloomsburg and Pacacha would not have to wait long for the breakthrough, as 90 seconds later, the team made it a 1-0 game.

The Huskies won possession in the midfield and began the process of switching the play. As the ball made its way to Jackson on the left side, the defender kept his eyes downfield, took an inside step, and launched the ball to the opposite wing for a streaking Pacacha. The junior took a perfect touch to remain in stride and race past his defender. With composure, Pacacha slotted home a left-footed finish at the near post to give his side the lead. 

As the offense gave Bloomsburg the lead, the defense made sure it was never relinquished. Punchello made his final two stops of the afternoon in the 10 minutes that followed the goal. As the Griffins pushed forward for an equalizer, the Huskies lurked and pounced on the opportunity to double the advantage.

With less than eight minutes to play and around a minute after reentering the match, Savage left the final impression of the day. Owen Peri (Dallastown, Pa./Dallastown) won the ball in the Bloomsburg half as the ball went back to Alicea on the left side. The senior found Savage unmarked along the right side of the field. The sophomore sized up and rolled past multiple defenders for Seton Hill and then opened up his body and squared a curler onto his left foot for the decisive finish.

Numbers of Note:
3 - The Huskies continued one streak with Saturday's results. Bloomsburg has now captured three consecutive wins in the series over Seton Hill dating back to 2023. The Huskies have kept a clean sheet in each of those three matches.

2 - After mustering a pair of draws and one goal scored in its first two matches, the Bloomsburg men's soccer team is establishing a newfound rhythm. The Huskies defeated two teams this week with votes in the United Soccer Coaches National Poll. Bloomsburg also scored two goals against both opponents, the most against either team under the guidance of head coach Mark Bassett. 

On the Horizon:
The Bloomsburg men's soccer team wraps up a three-game stint on the road on Wednesday, September 17, with a trip to Philadelphia to take on Jefferson for a 4:00 p.m. start.