Wilkes Men's Soccer Holds Off Late Surge to Pass DeSales 4-3
EDWARDSVILLE – Wilkes University men's soccer holds off two late goals in the second half as they pass DeSales University 4-3 in Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom action on Saturday at Bruggeworth Field on Homecoming weekend.
Wilkes improves to 4-5-1, 1-0 in MAC Freedom play, while DeSales falls to 5-4-1, 0-1 in conference action.
The first half saw the Colonels and Bulldogs have an even amount of pressure towards each other, as both teams took five shots each. Wilkes would be the first team to strike first, as Colin Schulmeister (Old Saybrook, CT/Old Saybrook) would pass to Wil Buono (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North), then hit Owen Breisch (Fleetwood, PA/Fleetwood Area) as he ran down the field and hit a shot in the right side of the goal as the Colonels would take an early 1-0 lead in the 12th minute. DeSales and Wilkes would keep the pressure on one another, with neither team giving easy shots in the half.
The Bulldogs nearly got on the score with a shot that looked to be going in, but Zach Tone (Easton, PA/Easton Area) took the initiative and saved the shot as he went out of the goal and blocked it before any opening was still visible. Wilkes would extend their lead as Will Wagstaff (Allentown, PA/Parkland) got a rebound from the top of the crossbar and hit the middle center of the net to give the Colonels a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.
The second half saw DeSales pick up their pace and bring the pressure to the Colonels. The Bulldogs outshot Wilkes 10-5 in the second half, working to get back in the game and not let the Colonels pull away. DeSales would score in the 62nd minute, cutting Wilkes lead 2-1. Schulmeister would not let the lead go for Wilkes as he took a pass from Wagstaff and hit the right side of the net to keep the Colonels up two scores over the Bulldogs. Schulmeister would get another goal in the 80th minute as Eli Gordon (Jacksonville, FL/The Bolles School) found him running down the net, where Schulmeister kicked it to the right corner and made the Colonel lead 4-1 near the end of the second half. The Bulldogs would keep fighting, as they scored two goals within five minutes of one another, but Wilkes would ultimately hold onto their lead to end the second half and take a win over DeSales.
The Colonels go on the road this Wednesday as they continue MAC Freedom play when they face Lycoming College at 6:00 p.m.
