ORANGEBURG, N.Y. - The Bloomsburg men's soccer team began its 2025 season with a 1-1 draw on the road against Dominican (NY) Thursday evening.
The Chargers found an early 1-0 lead in the first half with their first shot of the match and sought to hold onto the advantage through the remainder of the contest. The Huskies remained unrelenting in their efforts, with Caleb Sitler (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra) finding the tying goal in his first collegiate contest to help Bloomsburg rescue a draw.
How It Happened:
Bloomsburg controlled much of the opening tempo and possession from the season-declaring whistle, a trend permeating throughout the opening half. The early signs from the Huskies' offensive efforts came from its front three, as Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) and Adrian Rodriguez (Tarrytown, N.Y./Sleepy Hollow) each took their first cracks of the season at net. Rodriguez's lofting 50-50 ball into the box was the first of the 2025 campaign on goal.
After more spells of possession for the Huskies without a clear-cut opportunity, it was an instant change of possession on the opposite end of the field that led to the opening goal of the contest in favor of the host Chargers. Along the left touchline deep in the Bloomsburg defense, Oscar Chazalet kept the ball in play, laying off a quick touch pass to Nichlas Thulin Kamfjord. The Chargers' forward took a touch in and struck the ball, with the attempt finding just enough space to squeak into the back of the net to give the home side the advantage.
Hollobaugh and the Huskies looked for a response in the following minutes, with the forward's next two attempts unable to change the scoreline, despite forcing a save out of Dominican goalkeeper David Arteaga.
A couple of substitutions and several attempts into the half-hour mark of the contest saw Bloomsburg remain scoreless, as a pair of headed efforts from Sam Blumberger (Colchester, Conn./Bacon Academy) inside the 18-yard box narrowly missed their intended destination, seeing the Huskies go into the half trailing, 1-0.
Bloomsburg displayed its intent throughout the opening 45 minutes of play, outpacing the Chargers in shots (9), shots on goal (3), and corner kicks (2). The team's presence in the attacking third was on display asl set-piece opportunities from throw-ins and direct free kicks could not spark the team in the early showing.
The flow of the game continued to mirror and favor the possession endeavors of the Huskies, with the two teams trading off-target shots through the first 10 minutes of the second half. Dominican put just their second shot on target for the afternoon with a trickling attempt from a free kick falling into the hands of goalkeeper Peter Punchello (Jamison, Pa./William Penn Charter).
Bloomsburg continued peppering the goal with attempts to maintain its desired pressure over the next 10 minutes of action. The Chargers nearly doubled their lead with a tremendous solo effort in the 69th minute. Dominican's Eyob McFarland got on the end of a long ball sent into the final third and began attempting to weave through the Huskies' defense. After creating space just outside the box, the attacker put a great deal of power behind his effort with a ringing shot off the crossbar, which was eventually cleared out of harm's way.
After the near miss from the Chargers, the Huskies finally managed to break through in the 72nd minute to tie the game. In its own half, Dominican began to bring the ball up the left flank. Unsuspecting, Jake Pacacha (Shelton, Conn./St. Joseph) raced down the line to force a dispossession. The junior squared up to the ball and laced a pass to the top of the box, connecting with the feet of Blumberger. The forward settled the ball with a nicely weighted pass to the feet of Sitler. Sitler stepped into the pass and hammered home a low-driven shot past the keeper for his first career goal, making it a 1-1 contest.
Bloomsburg was not satisfied with the present score and continued its push for a second. Five different Huskies had an attempt at a goal from an array of chances, from corners to deflections. Now needing a second, the Chargers looked to lean on counter-attack opportunities to get behind the Bloomsburg defense. The strategy led to their final two attempts, both to no avail, without testing Punchello in the net.
The final three minutes turned into a scramble for Bloomsburg in searching for a leading effort. An array of long throws from Micah Diggs (Groton, Conn./Fitch) continued to rattle in and around the box before one last corner attempt was unsuccessful in skidding past the keeper, with blocked shot attempts from Blumberger and Diggs capping off the game at a 1-1 draw.
Numbers of Note:
21-7 - While the Huskies would have liked to start the season in the win column, the efforts on the night showcased the team's overall quality and potential going forward. Bloomsburg finished its opening contest with a 21-7 advantage in total shots. The Huskies finished with five shots on goal to Dominican's two.
8 & 4 - Bloomsburg lost a core of experienced players following the 2024 season, and Thursday's opener was a showcase for new faces to get their careers started on the right foot. In total, eight players made their first appearances for the Huskies, with four players getting their first starting nods with the Maroon & Gold.
On the Horizon:
The Bloomsburg men's soccer team faces a quick turnaround with its next contest scheduled at Steph Pettit Stadium on Saturday, September 6, at 4:00 p.m. against Lock Haven for the team's home opener.
