WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson men's soccer team used three first half goals to defeat Saint Vincent and notch its first Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) win of the season Wednesday evening.
Both teams found the back of the net within the game's first 20 minutes, however the Presidents scored twice within the span of a minute to take control of the contest.
Freshman
Zach Bowser (Beaver, Pa./Beaver Area) playing in his first career start got the scoring going with a tally in the sixth minute on a feed from fellow first-year
Dylan Mayanja (Camp Hill, Pa./Camp Hill).
In the 18
th minute Saint Vincent responded with a game-tying goal of the foot of Roberto Fulweiler to knot the score at one.
For over 20 minutes the Presidents and Bearcats battled back and forth to break the tie. SVC goalkeeper Zachary Gibbons made three saves, including a President penalty kick. W&J goalkeeper
Samuel Miller (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg) notched a pair of saves in the same stretch to keep the match tied.
The Presidents broke through in the 40
th minute and never looked back with a pair of goals from Mayanja and freshman
John Appiah (Greenville, S.C.).
Alvaro Viadas (Burgos, Spain) set up Mayanja for his first collegiate goal at the 39:04 mark into the first half, and 45 seconds of game time later, Appiah secured a loose ball in the box and fired home his second goal of the year.
The Presidents nearly added another goal less than a minute later but were whistled offside on the scoring attempt.
W&J improved upon its 3-1 halftime advantage in the 74
th minute when
Alex Molina (Bowie, Md./Reservoir) connected with Viadas who headed home the Presidents' fourth goal of the evening.
W&J limited the Bearcats to a single shot in the second half, an attempt that was thwarted by miller in the 61
st minute.
In total the Presidents outshot SVC 19-6 and held a 13-4 advantage in shots on goal.
Mayanja and Viadas both tallied one goal and one assist. All four goals were scored by freshmen or newcomers to the team in 2019.
Joey Feola (Carnegie, Pa./Central Catholic) led the Presidents with five shots, four on goal.
Miller made three saves in the 90-minute win.
With four points through the first two PAC games, W&J sits atop the conference standings with Westminster and Grove City. The Presidents continue league play Saturday at Chatham at 8:00 p.m.