BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Three different substitutes found the back of the net as the Bloomsburg men's soccer team opened the 2026 season with a 3-2 victory over Felician on Thursday afternoon at Steph Pettit Stadium.
Finn Garner (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) provided the Huskies' first-half goal before Dylan Kopenits (Bensalem, Pa./Conwell-Egan Catholic) and Nicholas Guzak struck after halftime to help Bloomsburg (1-0) break a 1-1 tie. Logan Savage (Bensalem, Pa./Archbishop Wood), Connor Fiadino (Burlington, N.J./Burlington Township) and Sam Palmer (Shoreham, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River) each contributed an assist in the victory.
The win marked a strong start for a Bloomsburg side selected third in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division preseason coaches poll. The Huskies finished 10-3-6 and allowed a conference-low 12 goals in 2025 after winning the PSAC championship in 2024. PSAC preseason poll
Felician created the first opportunity of the afternoon, but Andre Cunha sent his attempt over the crossbar in the 10th minute. Bloomsburg began to settle into the match, and Zayd DeVeaux (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside Chestnut Hill Academy) pushed the Huskies forward with a shot wide of the left post in the 16th minute.
The pressure paid off less than two minutes later. Garner, who entered the contest in the 11th minute, connected with Savage in the attacking end and put Bloomsburg ahead at the 17:43 mark. The goal came less than seven minutes after Garner stepped onto the field.
The Huskies nearly doubled their advantage just over a minute later. Andrew Beagle (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia) put an attempt on target, forcing Felician goalkeeper Gerardo Mendez to make his first save of the afternoon.
Felician (0-1) answered against the run of play in the 22nd minute. Marcos Sevilla set up Bartu Yakkan for the equalizer, sending the teams into the final stages of the opening half tied at 1.
Bloomsburg earned two corner kicks during the remainder of the period but could not find the go-ahead goal. At the other end, goalkeeper Ryan Moroney (Blackwood, N.J./Sterling) turned away Bruno Arenal Gutierrez's attempt in the 45th minute to keep the match even heading into halftime.
The Huskies came out of the break on the front foot. Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) sent a shot wide in the 51st minute, and Bloomsburg continued to press following a pair of Felician fouls.
Kopenits completed the push at the 52:30 mark. After entering the match at the start of the second half, Kopenits combined with Fiadino and scored just over seven minutes into the period to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead.
Bloomsburg continued to generate opportunities after moving in front. Hollobaugh had an attempt blocked in the 61st minute before DeVeaux forced another save from Mendez in the 68th minute.
The Huskies' depth again made the difference late in the half. Guzak returned to the field in the 69th minute and needed less than seven minutes to provide what proved to be the game-winning goal.
Following a Felician foul near the 75-minute mark, Palmer connected with Guzak, who converted the opportunity at 75:20 to extend Bloomsburg's lead to 3-1. The goal gave the Huskies three different scorers and three different players with an assist.
Bloomsburg's back line protected the two-goal cushion as Felician pushed numbers forward. The Golden Falcons recorded three shots over the final 17 minutes, but two sailed high before Yakkan converted a penalty kick with 40 seconds remaining.
The Huskies successfully navigated the closing seconds to secure the season-opening win.
Bloomsburg outshot Felician 6-4 in the second half and finished with a 9-8 edge in total attempts. The Huskies placed five shots on goal and earned three corner kicks while limiting the Golden Falcons to four shots on target and two corners.
Moroney made two saves to earn his first victory of the season. Mendez stopped two shots for Felician.
Bloomsburg continues its season-opening homestand Saturday, Aug. 29, when it hosts Jefferson at 6:00 p.m. at Steph Pettit Stadium.
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