MILLERSVILLE, Pa. -Â Millersville men's soccer earned a 2-0 victory over No. 22 Bloomsburg in a thrilling matchup to secure another PSAC East title.
The Marauders set the tone early, pressing the Huskies' defense from the opening minutes of kickoff. Both teams earned corner kicks in the first 10 minutes but were unable to capitalize. Over the next 35 minutes, Millersville controlled much of the possession, managing the ball and searching for quality opportunities.
With three minutes remaining in the first half, the first breakthrough came when Tylen Thomas drove down the left side and sent a low cross to freshman Brian O'Neill, who finished with a one-touch strike to put the Marauders ahead 1–0. The half concluded with Millersville maintaining the lead.
Millersville carried that momentum into the second half as Haven Thomas found an open look and fired a shot that was saved by the Bloomsburg goalkeeper. The Huskies tried to respond with a shot on Gavin Massimi, but he made the stop to preserve the lead. Massimi finished the day with three saves in a shutout performance.
In the 79th minute, O'Neill re-entered the match for Matias Schmidt. Just 20 seconds later, Zander Leik connected with O'Neill, who blasted a shot into the top left corner of the net to extend the Marauders' advantage to 2–0.
Bloomsburg was unable to find an answer, and Millersville secured a 2–0 victory. With the win, the Marauders clinched the No. 1 seed in the PSAC Tournament, earning a first-round bye.
Millersville closes out the regular season next Thursday with a 7 p.m. matchup at East Stroudsburg.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:
- O'Neill knocked in two goals
- Ortiz and Leik were both credited with assists
- Massimi recorded three saves to claim another shutout victory
THOUGHTS FROM HEAD COACH STEVE WIDDOWSON:
- The boys showed great effort and determination throughout the match. Could you share your thoughts on the areas where they excelled? "I thought we set a great tone right from the first whistle and maintained it all game. We had a distinct game plan and I think the boys executed it superbly. They made good decisions of when and where to play and when to go direct and I thought their effort and communication was fantastic.
- Now that you've clinched the PSAC East title, what's the next area of focus for the team? "Right now we have to stay humble and hungry. There's still a lot we can achieve and another important game on Thursday. We can enjoy today's accomplishment a little bit but then it's back to focused and working hard to take the next steps towards our final goals.
