EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg men's soccer team fought to a 1-1 draw on the road against East Stroudsburg on Wednesday.
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The Huskies (4-4-3, 0-3-2 PSAC East) scored first thanks to a goal from
Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) in the first half, but were met with a quick response from the Warriors (6-3-3, 3-0-2 PSAC East). The two teams remained unable to break their deadlock in a tightly contested conference contest.
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How It Happened:
The match started as a back-and-forth exchange with limited efforts on goal, as both teams went through a feeling-out process early. Bloomsburg, however, lined up and took advantage of its first opportunity of the night, putting away the team's first shot for the opening goal.
Connor Fiadino (Burlington, N.J./Burlington Township) took possession of the ball around the halfway line and down the right wing before cutting back inside. Evading multiple defenders, Fiadino played a pass to a darting Hollobaugh, timing the run perfectly to remain onside and slot home his finish between the goalkeeper's legs to put the Huskies up early.
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East Stroudsburg applied almost immediate pressure in search of an equalizer, ripping off four shots in the five minutes that followed the goal. The Warriors found the tying goal in the 19th minute, playing a ball over the top of the Huskies' backline to take advantage of the team's pace with a chipped finish into the back of the net.
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The flow of the contest continued to waver between the two sides, as both teams sought to add to their goal tallies with the match tied. Despite the 18 combined shots in the first half, just two more attempts at goal, one from each side, warranted a stop from a goalkeeper through the final 26 minutes of the opening half.
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The second half of Wednesday's contest tightened slightly, with a more physical context reducing the number of chances in the final 45 minutes. Bloomsburg came close on several occasions to taking the lead with the efforts of Fiadino. In the 68th minute, the forward managed to keep himself onside to receive a through ball, with the shot sailing just over the crossbar. Fiadino later had a chance with several Huskies in a scramble for the ball inside the six-yard box. Nobody for Bloomsburg could get clean contact before the East Stroudsburg goalkeeper made the recovery.
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As time ticked off the clock, chances dried up as the teams managed the risks of overextending. At the end of 90 minutes played, the stats reflected the even nature of the contest. The Warriors finished with 15 shots to the Huskies 14 and four corner kicks to Bloomsburg's three. Both teams had three shots on target, while both goalkeepers made two saves in the match.
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On the Horizon:
The Huskies will catch their breath with an off day on Saturday before traveling to Rochester, N.Y. for a nonconference matchup with Roberts Wesleyan at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7.
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