By Jack Poleto
Sports Editor
Washington Collge men’s soccer pulled off two electric wins at home against the nationally-ranked Rowan University Profs and the McDaniel College Green Terror.
On Tuesday, Sept. 19, the Shoremen earned their second win of the season against twenty-first ranked Rowan University.
In a scrappy dogfight, WC was penalized with just two yellow cards, while the Profs had five of their own along with a red card that cost them the game.
“Rowan was a very stubborn opponent… A ranked team, very physical,” Head Coach Roy Dunshee said.
The Shoremen offense came out swinging with a relentless attack, recording ten shots in the first half followed up in the second with five shots.
Senior midfielder Ben Strine had one of the best games of his career at WC with eight shots on goal and a game-winning score from a penalty kick.
Strine’s goal came in the thirty-seventh minute after a Rowan handball in the Profs’ box and he rifled it to the left of the opposing goalie.
“I thought we coped with [their] physicality well and were able to control most of the game,” Coach Dunshee said.
Other impressive statlines came from senior goalkeeper Anthony Pinto, who saved four shots on goal, and senior forward Zak Burgess, who had three shots in just 60 minutes on the pitch.
According to Coach Dunshee, he thought the Shoremen’s defense held up very well against the Profs, who “threw in the kitchen sink,” especially at the end.
The Shoremen improved to 2-0-5 on the season and prepared for their next game on the weekend.
After getting postponed due to inclement weather, WC’s game against McDaniel was played on Sunday, Sept. 24.
The Shoremen recorded 15 shots with four on target, while the Green Terror was unable to have a single shot on goal.
Five of WC’s shots came from junior midfielder Katim Njie, who has been a cruicial part of the Shoremen’s attack this season. Njie went on to score a goal in the sixty-second minute.
The goal came from a rebound from a block off the Green Terror’s defenders and Njie fired it back past the goalkeeper. This was Njie’s third goal of the season.
Other notable performances came from Strine, with five shots, and the entirety of the Shoremen’s defense, who challenged every ball the Green Terror sent their way. Their performance gave WC their second clean sheet of the season.
“We had a lot more of the ball… and we created more chances,” Coach Dunshee said. “[Katim Njie] was able to get on the end of the pass and get a goal that I thought we deserved.”
The Shoremen tied their all-time series with McDaniel at 9-9-3 and now have four straight wins against the Green Terror.
The team’s next home game is against Ursinus College on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 4 p.m.
The Shoremen lead the all-time series at 17-9-3 and aim to get another win this season at Kibler Field, with zero losses at home.
Photo courtesty of WC Athletics
Photo Caption: Senior forward Ben Strine’s game winning penalty kick against #21 Rowan University. This is Strine’s third goal of the season.