Box Score Greensburg, PA – The D'Youville men's soccer team earned their first conference win of the season on Saturday thanks to a pair of second half goals, defeating the Pitt.-Greensburg Bobcats by the final score of 2-1.
The first 10 minutes of play in the first half produced several quality scoring changes for each team. Greensburg hit the post within the first three minutes of the game, with the Spartans having a shot blocked just a minute later. Between the two teams, they had a total of six shots in the first 10 minutes of play.
With nine shots in the first half, the team had contributions from several different players. Forward Hunter Sherman (Lockport, NY/Lockport) applied consistent pressure to the Bobcat defense with three shots, while the midfield of Marco Ciccarelli (Webster, NY/Webster-Schroeder), Jake Kowalewski (Attica, NY/Attica), and Josh Hammer (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home) combining for four shots. Center back Matt Davis (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport) added a shot of his own off a corner. However the two teams remained scoreless through the first 45 minutes and went into the locker room tied 0-0.
It didn't take long for the Spartans to regain their offensive form in the second half. The team recorded the first two shots off the half, with the second resulting in the game's first goal. Sherman collected the ball inside the Greensburg 18-yard box, turned and fired a shot past the Bobcat keeper for a 1-0 lead in the 53rd minute.
Both teams settled in on defense for the next several minutes until the Spartans struck again. In the 70th minute, Kowalewski received a pass from Aweso Noor (Buffalo, NY/Canisius) and put the ball off the left post and in for his first collegiate goal, giving the Spartans some space and a 2-0 lead. However nine minutes later, Greensburg scored on a penalty kick, cutting the D'Youville lead in half and brought the score to 2-1.
In the final 10 minutes of play, the Spartans locked down on defense. The men allowed no shots on goal to hold onto their 2-1 lead and defeat the Bobcats for their first conference win.
A solid team effort on both ends of the field played a major role in the team's victory. D'Youville had 15 shots and six on goal while Greensburg had 13 shots and just five on goal. Freshman Kyle Dick (Churchville, NY/Churchville-Chili) recorded his first victory of his career with four saves behind his back line. That back line of Noor, Davis, Mike Lekanka (Newfane, NY/Newfane), and AJ Wade (Pendleton, NY/Starpoint) played extremely well all game to secure the team's win.
Offensively, Sherman led the team with 7 shots while Kowalewski recorded four. Six different players had shots in the game as the team had solid offensive pressure throughout the game.
The next game for the men comes on Wednesday, October 18 as they play at Hilbert. Game time against the Hawks is at 1:00pm.
