Relentless Offense Leads Wilkes Men's Soccer to 6-0 Win in Season Opener
EDWARDSVILLE – The Wilkes University men's soccer team won their season opener in convincing fashion Friday afternoon, as the Colonels exploded offensively to beat Penn State Berks 6-0 at Bruggeworth Field.
The first twenty minutes were defensively-oriented until Xavier Guerreiro (Newtown, PA/Council Rock North) headed the ball past the Nittany Lions' goalkeeper at 24:11 into the contest. Joseph Zisa (East Windsor, NJ/Highstown) picked up an assist on the Colonel's first goal of the season.
It didn't take long for Guerreiro to find his way back onto the score sheet. Wilkes drew a penalty kick with less than a minute left in the first half, which he buried his second goal of the day into the bottom right corner to give the team a 2-0 lead.
Entering the second half, the Colonels didn't take their foot off the gas pedal. Just 4:23 into the frame, Vincent Ippolito (Park Ridge, NJ/Park Ridge) collected a ball from Will Wagstaff (Allentown, PA/Parkland) in front of the net and snuck a shot just past the goalkeeper's left side to give Wilkes a 3-0 lead.
Ippolito got right back to work offensively, delivering a pass to Herbert Ramirez (Highstown, NJ/Highstown) who sent a shot to the back of the net and expanded the Colonels' lead to 4-0 at 51:32 into the contest.
The Wilkes offense continued to play hungry by pressuring Berks in their own zone and forcing turnovers. Their efforts paid off at 84:40 when Josey Williamson (Oley Valley, PA/Oley Valley) collected a rebound off Jacob Trendell's (Cobleskill, NY/Cobelskill Richmondville High School) shot and potted it into the goal to give the Colonels a 5-0 lead.
Still not satisfied, the offense tacked on another goal at 89:47 when Trendell gathered a rebound in front of the net and scored just inside the left goalpost. His late second-half goal made the final score 6-0.
Wilkes outshot Penn State Berks by a total of 24- 2. Both teams were awarded three corner kicks. Six different players scored goals for the Colonels, while Guerreiro and Ippolito both collected three points with a goal and an assist.
Goalkeeper Nick Kinzler (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial) recorded one save, giving him a win and the shutout.
Wilkes returns to action on Monday when they travel to Ithaca to take on the Bombers in a 2:00 p.m. match.
