BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg men's soccer team cruised to a 3-0 victory over Goldey-Beacom Saturday afternoon at Steph Pettit Stadium.
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The Huskies (3-1) immediately found themselves in control of the match and leading 1-0 following a link-up between
Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) and
Zayd DeVeaux (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside Chestnut Hill Academy) from a free kick. Bloomsburg's grip on the match only grew following a red card in the 26th minute shown to the Lightning (0-2-1). The Huskies tacked on two goals in the second half from
Shawn Estelle (Bowie, Md./Bishop McNamara) and
Nick Guzak (Washington Township, N.J./Washington Township) to put the game away.
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Saturday marked senior day for the Bloomsburg men's soccer program. As part of the festivities, seven Huskies were recognized. The list includes
Brayden Ahlum (Collegeville, Pa./Methacton),
Gage Haniwalt (Franklin, Pa./Franklin Area),
Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College),
Ty Mikula (State College, Pa./Western Reserve),
Ryan Moroney (Blackwood, N.J./Sterling),
Jake Pacacha (Shelton, Conn./St. Joseph), and
Owen Peri (Dallastown, Pa./Dallastown).
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How It Happened:
Bloomsburg wasted little time on Saturday, finding the back of the net inside the first two minutes of the contest. After the Huskies drew a foul in a dangerous area down the right flank, DeVeaux stepped over the ensuing free kick and delivered a ball to an open Hollobaugh, shielding off a defender and slotting the pass into the bottom right corner for the 1-0 lead.
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The two sides traded near-misses in the moments that followed, with Guzak seeing a shot with the goalkeeper off his line go wide and Goldey-Beacom having a shot ricochet off the woodwork, and the second chance straight away on goal go wide. Bloomsburg had a chance to double its advantage in the 17th minute with a penalty drawn by
Dylan Kopenits (Bensalem, Pa./Conwell-Egan Catholic), but Lightning goalie Adham Mohamed made his first of what would be two saves against shots from the penalty spot to keep his side in the match.
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The match eventually went sideways for the visitors as a straight red card shown to a Goldey-Beacom player dug the visitors into a deeper hole. Despite the disadvantage, the Lightning managed to fend off the Huskies for the remainder of the half with only two additional shot attempts.
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The Huskies ramped up their efforts to build a two-goal cushion, leading to the team's second attempt from the penalty spot. Mohamed's efforts for Goldey-Beacom, this time denying Hollobaugh a brace, kept the visitors in the match, even fending off a follow-up attempt from Kopenits.
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Bloomsburg eventually doubled its lead in the 65th minute thanks to the contributions from a pair of substitutes. The Lightning attempted to play the ball out from the back, right into the teeth of a fervent press by the Huskies. With the ball booted away around midfield,
Drew Hollida (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake) played a high-arcing ball deep in Goldey-Beacom's half. After a Lightning defender missed the ball on a diving clear attempt, Estelle tracked the ball off the bounce and took one touch to control the ball, cut inside onto his right foot, and find a home for a goal into the bottom corner.
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That boost from the goal saw Bloomsburg continue to pepper the goal and maintain possession on Goldey-Beacom's side of the field. The pressure would lead to the Huskies' third and final goal in the afternoon. The Lightning were once again overwhelmed by the bodies committed forward by Bloomsburg, with Guzak eventually winning possession and playing
Keenan Lynch (York, Pa./Red Lion) to the right side. Lynch found his fellow freshman winger,
Jace Black (Altoona, Pa./Altoona), after his initial pass was blocked. Black slid the ball from his right foot across the face of the goal, with Guzak putting away a poacher's finish to net the final tally of the afternoon.
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Numbers of Note:
10-0 - The early red card for Goldey-Beacom set the stage for an assertive display by the Huskies on Saturday. Bloomsburg finished with a 10-0 advantage in shots on goal against the Lightning in the contest.
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29 - The Huskies got several players experience on Saturday. In total, 29 players made their way onto the pitch for Bloomsburg.
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8 & 11 - Bloomsburg has had a number of its players contribute to the scoresheet through the team's first four games of the season. The Huskies have seen eight different players find the back of the net and 11 players record an assist. As a whole, 16 members of the squad have at least one point, including 10 who have tallied the first of their collegiate careers.
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On the Horizon:
The Huskies are on the road for their first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) contest of the season when they take on Shippensburg at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 9.
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