Photo by Eric Siegel
Elm Staff Writer
Goose Nation took the field Friday afternoon for the home opener of men’s soccer. With a great fan base taking stage to cheer for the Shoremen it was destined to be a great day to play soccer. Anticipation was in the air as first-year head coach Roy Dunshee would be leading this team for the very first time.
Things seemed promising as the Shormen took the field against the Shenandoah University Hornets. It was clear that the first half was a defensive battle because the struggle for the opening goal was not settlend until the final minute of the first half.
The deadlock was broken when senior defender Justin Geho received a perfect pass from sophomore midfielder Brandon Wilfong on a corner kick. Geho sneaked the ball between Shenandoah’s goalkeeper and a Hornet’s defender on a rockey of a volley to find the net at 44:18. The assist on the corner gave Wilfong his very first point of his collegiate career.
The Shoremen went into the half with a feeling of ecstasy and seemed determined to keep the lead. Keep the lead they did and in grand fashion none the less. Junior midfielder Chris Nardo went on to score off a rebounded shot by senior midfielder (and at times forward) Ryan Duffy at 60:30.
The crowd at this point was estactic with joy and it was clear that victory was quickly approaching.
But who could have guessed that the Shoremen had more planned? Sophomore midfielder Matt Wilfong put the game away when he scored off a back-pass from sophomore forward Sam Draper who received a long pass from Geho. This was also Draper’s first collegiate point as he was credited with the assist.
As with any successful team it is important to have a worthy defense and the last line of this defense was flawless for the Shoremen in their season opener. Senior goalkeeper Tyler Cabot amazed in his first collegiate start after making a total of three saves and keeping Shenandoah out the net in his debut as a starter.
That being said the offence must be praised for an 18-7 advantage in shots and also scoring the most points in a single game since the 5-0 win over Goucher on Sept. 15, 2010. Not a bad debut for the Dunshee-led Shoremen.