BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg men's soccer team fought to a 0-0 result at Steph Pettit Stadium on Saturday against West Chester.
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The Huskies (4-5-4, 0-3-3 PSAC East) pieced together a strong first half, but were unable to connect on any of their seven shots in the first 45 minutes to find a goal. The Golden Rams (4-4-4, 3-3-2 PSAC East), after getting off just one shot in the first half, ramped up their attack in the final 45 minutes in pursuit of the victory. The sides combined for 20 shots in the match, with just four finishing on target. Bloomsburg finished with a 6-5 advantage in corner kicks.
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How It Happened:
Bloomsburg had a pair of near-misses in the first 15 minutes of the match.
Caleb Sitler (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra) began the day for Bloomsburg with a left-footed shot that curled away outside the post from the bottom left corner of the goal after connecting with Owen Hollobuagh and
Connor Fiadino (Burlington, N.J./Burlington Township) on some lovely build-up play in the eighth minute. Hollobuagh was on the doorstep of putting Bloomsburg in front in the 15th minute, finding himself in front of goal after cutting inside from the right wing. The forward took too much time on the ball, with his shot blocked out of play by a crashing defender.
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The Huskies remained the aggressors as the first half progressed. Bloomsburg managed to draw three corner kicks in eight minutes, but came up empty-handed in their attempts. The Huskies' best scoring opportunities for the remainder of the first half came from some well-intended shots from outside the box that carried too much power to stay on frame.
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Drew Offenberg (Monroe Twp, N.J./Monroe Twp) was called on several occasions in the second half to come up with a stop. His first came in the 49th minute with a runner bouncing a shot on the edge of the 18-yard box into the goalkeeper's hands. Offenberg later had to come off his line to deflect a ball out of play in the 74th minute in a one-on-one scenario. The freshman shot-stopper finished his day by parrying a free kick in the 83rd minute to help Bloomsburg keep the clean sheet.
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The influx of pressure from the Golden Rams in the second half resulted in eight shots to the Huskies' four in the final 45 minutes. Like Bloomsburg, West Chester could not convert on its staggered efforts in and around the box. The Golden Rams did manage throughout the contest to keep the Huskies out of dangerous scoring areas, with Bloomsburg not recording its first shot on target in the match until a 74th-minute shot by Sitler from a free kick.
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On the Horizon:
The Huskies play their final nonconference game of the season on Wednesday, October 14, at 3:30 p.m. against Lackawanna.
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