BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg men's soccer team suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat at Steph Pettit Stadium against Shippensburg on Wednesday evening.
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The Huskies (5-6-5, 1-4-3 PSAC East) saw their nearly hour-long lead erased with two goals in less than two minutes by the Raiders (3-6-5, 2-6-0 PSAC East).
Caleb Sitler (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra) provided Bloomsburg's lone goal of the evening with an assist from
Finn Garner (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) in the 17th minute.
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How It Happened:
Shippensburg came out looking to play the ball over the top and deep into the Huskies' defensive third. That strategy led to the only shot from either side in the first 15 minutes. As Bloomsburg settled in, its possession spells forced the Raiders to defend deeper into their half, eventually leading to the first goal of the match.
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The set-up was started after
Logan Coone (Mars, Pa./Mars Area) quickly cleared a Shippensburg throw-in with a high-arcing punt into the Raiders' half of the field. With the ball bouncing in front of two defenders, miscommunication led to a short-sighted clearance with a glancing header. Garner was in the right place at the right time, taking an in-stride touch to settle the ball. He played a pass to the left for Sitler, with time and space to send his shot past the diving goalkeeper and into the bottom right corner.
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The Huskies had hoped to add on to their advantage by the first half's end, getting the better end of play for the remainder of the half. Bloomsburg closed the final stretch against Shippensburg with a 7-2 shot advantage and a slim 2-1 edge in corner kicks. The Huskies had two solid chances in the moments following their goal, with
Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) unable to get the right connection on a header and
Andrew Beagle (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia) not putting enough steam on a shot in the box.
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Jake Pacacha (Shelton, Conn./St. Joseph) was a spark in the attacking third for Bloomsburg throughout the contest, as the forward came close to doubling the Huskies' advantage twice less than 10 minutes after the restart. Pacacha put his first shot of the half on goal from a free kick that was parried out of bounds. The forward came close a few moments later after the Huskies won the ball from their counter press. Pacacha attempted to slot the ball past the Shippensburg shotstopper, but was denied on the doorstep. In that same stretch where everything favored Bloomsburg, Beagle nearly came through with another chance as the pressure from the Huskies allowed the midfielder to take a shot across the face of goal before ultimately drifting wide.
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The game began to shift away from what the Huskies had established for much of the night, with the Raiders finding dangerous pockets of space to create opportunities. The breakthrough for the visitors came in the 79th minute, as a scramble in the box gave a Shippensburg player time outside the box to wind up and put a well-placed long shot into the top left corner to tie the match at 1-1. The misfortune for Bloomsburg doubled soon after, as the Huskies were unable to clear the ball from their own half. With the defense not in shape, Shippensburg was able to open up the middle of the Huskies' backline to play a pass through. A slight touch from a Bloomsburg defender perfectly allowed the Raiders to settle on the ball and slot home a one-on-one finish against the goalkeeper to take the lead.
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With the momentum completely wiped away, the Huskies could not regain their composure inside the final 10 minutes to truly give themselves another chance at a goal. Bloomsburg got the ball down the flanks, but the crosses and passes led to clearances and empty possessions.
Drew Hollida (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake) fired off the last shot of the match in the 88th minute, as Shippensburg weathered the last-ditch efforts from the Huskies.
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On the Horizon:
The Huskies play to keep their season alive on Saturday, October 24, at 3:00 p.m., at Shepherd.
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