Millersville Pa. - The Millersville men's soccer team opened PSAC play with a 3-1 victory over Slippery Rock Wednesday. The match-up has become quite the rivalry recently with the clubs facing each other four times in the past year and splitting the wins. With the win the Marauders improved to 2-4-1 overall and 1-0 in PSAC. The Rock fell to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the PSAC.
By taking a quick glance at the shot chart it could be argued that The Rock had the upper hand as they uncorked 19 shots to Millersville's 10. But many of them were placed far off net, sailing a couple feet over the cross bar on numerous occasions. Slippery Rock was also unable to make the most out of their seven corner kicks as Marauder goalkeeper
David Brubaker ordered the set pieces in front of net in brilliant fashion.
The first half of play saw neither team pull ahead as it was mostly 50-50 possession wise with Slippery Rock getting the best opportunity to score at the 14:32 mark when forward Stephan McConahy fired a shot from close range that ended up in the belly of
David Brubaker. The score remained 0-0 into the break.
Millersville opened the second half red-hot and opened the scoring just a 1:32 into the period when
Jonathan Dadeboe took advantage of a Rock defender falling in front of net leaving a one-on-one opportunity with goalkeeper Steven Rerick. The sophomore forward converted, firing top-right of the net putting the Marauders up, 1-0. Midfielder Chris Sosa nearly opened the game up even more as he fired a shot from 35-yards out that clanked off the top crossbar.
Momentum slowly turned back into Slippery Rock's favor and it garnered the equalizer in the 64th minute. The goal came courtesy of Matt Sangermano who was set-up by a through ball by Josh Allman, which split the Marauder defense. With the score level in the 73rd minute of play, defender
Ahmed Qaisi timed a free running
Jaime Vazquez brilliantly and delivered a cross that was headed into the back of the net by Vazquez.
The Marauders added an insurance goal just minutes later when a Slippery Rock foul led to a free kick 40-yards out.
Jaime Vazquez put the free kick on net and a Rock defender headed the ball into his own goal putting Millersville up, 3-1. The scor stayed the same through the final whistle.
Millersville hopes to string together victories this Saturday when it travels to California (Pa.). Kick-off is slated for 4 p.m.
