LATROBE, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College men's soccer team (3-3, 2-1) battle their way to a 2-1 Presidents' Athletic Conference victory against the Saint Vincent Bearcats (4-3, 1-2).
Senior
Logen Mackey (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) led the Presidents with a goal and three shots on target. Additionally, freshman
Ryan Noel (Reisterstown, Md./McDonogh School) had a goal and three total shots. Senior
Tavan Schoenberger (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) recorded three shots as well.
W&J got off to a strong start offensively with six shots in the first half hour, forcing the Saint Vincent goaltender to make three saves early. Senior
Owen Rowlands (Hazle Township, Pa./Wyoming Seminary Prep) had two shots on target and junior
Derek Errett (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) had a third during the sequence. The President offense kept getting opportunities, but the Saint Vincent backline held strong as the game went into halftime scoreless.
The two teams traded opportunities to start the second half, but the Presidents were dealt with some extra adversity. W&J was forced down to 10 men in the 53
rd minute resulting in a penalty kick conversion for the Bearcats.
Even with the adversity, the Red & Black did not go away. W&J responded with an equalizer as Mackey converted a penalty kick in the 61
st minute. This was the spark that the Presidents needed as Mackey put a third opportunity on frame, requiring another save by the Bearcats' goalkeeper. Ten minutes following Presidents first goal, W&J took the 2-1 lead when Noel converted the header following a cross by sophomore
Jacek Piekut (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice).
The Presidents back line fought off the Saint Vincent attempts in the last twenty minutes to preserve the 2-1 victory. Overall, the Red & Black outshot the Bearcats18-12 with a 9-5 advantage in shots on target.
Sophomore
Logan Joseph (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) played all 90 minutes in goal and recorded four saves.
The Presidents return to the pitch on Wednesday (Sept. 30) when the team travels to take on the Waynesburg Yellow Jackets. Kickoff from Waynesburg is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.