Box Score Buffalo, NY – The D'Youville men's soccer team won their first conference game of the season on Saturday afternoon by defeating the Penn State-Altoona Lions 3-0.
It was an offensive game early in the first half with the Spartans totaling two corners and two shots in the first five minutes. Their offensive pressure continued as they put three more shots on the board before D'Youville scored their first goal of the game.
Hunter Sherman (Lockport, NY/Lockport) broke his scoring drought to begin the season by following up a saved shot in the box and burying it in the net for a 1-0 lead. The Lions would then begin to mount more pressure on the Spartan's defense, but the D'Youville defense held firm as they led going into the half 1-0.
Not much happened on either end to begin the second half. It wasn't until the 66th minute where the best scoring opportunity of the half would come and it would result in a second goal for the Spartans.
Alf Egge (Stavanger, Norway/Stavanger International) received a pass from Sherman outside the box and ripped a low, hard shot through the Lion's defense and past the Altoona goalie to double the D'Youville lead to 2-0. The Lions would again step up their action on offense as they would record the next five shots, but none found the back of the D'Youville net.
In the 82nd minute, the Spartans were awarded a penalty kick after a foul in the box. Sherman then stepped to the dot and buried his second goal of the game, giving D'Youville a 3-0 lead and the 3-0 win.
As well as the offense played for D'Youville, the team's defense played extremely well also. The back line of Matt Davis (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport), AJ Wade (Pendleton, NY/Starpoint), Jake Kowalewski (Attica, NY/Attica), and Josh Hammer (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home) were active throughout the game and consistently making plays.
In goal, Kyle Dick (Churchville, NY/Churchville-Chili) made all eight saves he saw for his first shutout of the season. On offense, Sherman led the way with five shots, two goals, and an assist. Hammer and Egge each had two shots, with Egge scoring his first goal of the season.
Players such as Juan Centeno (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville), Jared Zadzilka (North Tonawanda, NY/North Tonawanda), Jack Schmittendorf (Hamburg, NY/Frontier), and Jumale Jumale (Buffalo, NY/DaVinci) each played key roles in the win. Marcelo Buitrago (Ramstein, Germany/Ramstein), Nick Bailey (Bradford, NY/Bradford Central), Benjamin Cresanti (Bemus Point, NY/Maple Grove), Nayan Doobay (Toronto, Ont./Cambridge Academy), Aakar Htut (Cheektowaga, NY/Cheektowaga), Isaiah Kennedy (Buffalo, NY/Hutch Tech), and Anthony Balester (Buffalo, NY/Performing Arts) each saw playing time as well.
The next game for the men comes this Tuesday, September 25 as they travel to Pitt.-Bradford to play the Panthers at 4:15pm.
