EDWARDSVILLE – A two-goal performance by Colin Schulmeister (Old Saybrook, CT/Old Saybrook) led Wilkes University men's soccer to their first Landmark Conference victory as the Colonels took down Susquehanna University 3-1 Saturday afternoon.
 
The win gave Wilkes a 1-0-0 start to conference play and bumped their overall record to 3-2-2. Susquehanna fell to 1-4-2 on the season and 0-1-0 against Landmark opponents.
 
Goalkeeper Nick Kinzler (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial) started another strong outing for the Colonels by making two saves in the first nine minutes of play.
 
After Schulmeister drew a penalty at 15:06, Herbert Ramirez (Highstown, NJ/Highstown) nearly capitalized on the ensuing free kick but was stopped by River Hawk goalie Gerrit Stech.
 
Ramirez and Seth Marsteller (Coplay, PA/Whitehall) had back-to-back scoring opportunities in the 19th minute, but were still unable to crack Stech who saved both attempts.
 
The Colonels eventually broke the scoreless tie at 20:51 when Ramirez lifted a shot over Stech's right-hand side to give Wilkes a 1-nil lead.
 
Wilkes quickly added to their lead as Schulmeister fired a shot into the goal from just inside the penalty area at 26:31, giving the Colonels a 2-nil lead.
 
Susquehanna responded with a goal of their own just sixteen seconds after, as Max Paczewski picked up a pass from Adrian Dilascio and buried a shot to the top right corner of the net. His goal cut the River Hawks deficit to one.
 
After the offensive flurry, both teams locked down defensively and kept the score at 2-1 going into halftime.
 
Coming out of the break, neither team was able to register a shot on goal until the 68th minute when Kinzler made another save, this time on a shot from Paczewski.
 
Susquehanna applied strong pressure on the Colonels' defense in the second half of play, sending ten shots towards the goal in the final 45 minutes.
 
Wilkes was able to weather the storm and added an insurance goal at 81:38 when Schulmeister potted his second of the game. Joseph Zisa (East Windsor, NJ/Highstown) collected an assist on the 3-1 goal.
 
With under two minutes to play in the contest, Kinzler stood tall yet again and stopped a late scoring chance from Dilascio to preserve the Colonels' 3-1 lead until the final buzzer.
 
Schulmeister led the Colonels' offense with two goals on six shots, followed by Ramirez who picked up a goal and three shots. Marsteller also registered four shots while Kinzler posted five saves in the victory.
 
Paczewski led all River Hawk players with seven shots and a goal. Dilascio recorded four shots and Stech made six saves in the loss.
 
The Colonels wrap up their four-game homestand on Tuesday when they play host to Hartwick College. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.