DUNMORE, Pa. - The Bloomsburg men's soccer team finished with a 0-0 draw on the road against Lackawanna on Wednesday.
The Huskies (4-5-5) and the Falcons (1-7-5) battled throughout the midweek matchup, finishing the day with fewer than 20 shots and seven total shots on target. Bloomsburg held the advantage in total chances (10-8) but ended with fewer shots on target than Lackawanna (5-2).
How It Happened:
Making his first collegiate start,
Xavier Zyskowski (Sewickley, Pa./North Allegheny) was called into action early on Wednesday. The freshman was tasked with making three saves inside the first 11 minutes of the match, doing just so to fend off a flurry of early chances for the Falcons.
Dylan Kopenits (Bensalem, Pa./Conwell-Egan Catholic) took the first two cracks at goal for the Huskies with a pair of shots that did not pose much of a threat for the Lackawanna defense.
Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) had the first shot on goal in the match for Bloomsburg, heading back a free-kick entry pass from
Caleb Sitler (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra) in an attempt to misdirect the goalkeeper while shielding a defender.
An additional two saves by Zyskowski highlighted the limited goal-scoring opportunities between the two sides, as the team finished the final 20 minutes of the opening half with four shots between them.
Bloomsburg offensively mustered five shots in the final 45 minutes, with just a lone shot on target in the second half. The first shot of the second half did not occur until over 30 minutes following the halftime whistle. The Huskies nearly found a crack in the Lackawanna defense as another free kick delivery from Sitler made its way into the box and came off the body of the goalkeeper. Despite a period of time with a loose ball inside the six-yard box, nothing came to fruition for Bloomsburg.
The closing moments could only be described as chaos on the pitch, with both teams losing potential golden chances for a late winner. With less than three minutes on the clock, Hollobaugh won the race on a pass played inside the 18-yard box. The race included the Falcons' goalkeeper, who clattered into Bloomsburg forward after he got a touch to the ball; despite pleas for a penalty, no such call came. With less than a minute on the clock, Lackawanna thought it had found the winner, but the call on the field was overturned with an offside flag. Off the restart, the Huskies raced down the field in an effort to beat the clock, with another play made to Hollobaugh in the box. A rough challenge into the forward's back after playing a pass off to the center of the box similarly was left to be played on, as Bloomsburg could not get off one final shot before the full-time whistle.
On the Horizon:
The Huskies are back at Steph Pettit Stadium on Saturday, October 17, at 3:00 p.m., against Millersville.
