COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College men's soccer team battled back but a late McDaniel goal proved to be the difference a 3-2 defeat on Saturday afternoon.


 
The Bears celebrated six seniors on the afternoon as Justin Giordano, Aidan O'Malley, Marco Grenda, Peter Schoenberg, Vinny Carosella, and Nate Berger were recognized prior to the game for their dedication and commitment to the men's soccer program.
 

 
The Bears jumped on the board first in the 8^th minute as O'Malley scored his third goal of the season on a penalty kick to give Ursinus a 1-0 lead. A handball was called inside the box on the Green Terror defense and O'Malley drilled his penalty kick to the bottom right corner of the net to give Ursinus the lead. The Bears offense continued to create opportunities and put the pressure on the McDaniel defense, as Tommy Mollis, Luke Luehrs, and Patrick Tormey each recorded scoring opportunities. The Green Terror answered back in the 18^th minute on a long free kick from near midfield. Gage Souder sent a long curling pass into the box and some confusion from the Bears defense resulted in the equalizer for the road team.
 


McDaniel's Nick Starr gave the Green Terror the lead in the 29^th minute as he converted on a penalty kick for his seventh goal of the season. His shot just barely snuck past Schoenberg in net for Ursinus to give the visitors a 2-1 advantage. The Bears quickly answered with the equalizer in the 33^rd minute as O'Malley found Grenda on a long free kick to tie the match. About 40 yards out, in front of the McDaniel bench, O'Malley sent a long cross into the box and Grenda used a header aimed towards the far post for his fourth goal of the season. The Bears fired two more shots on net before halftime, as Tormey and first-year AJ Torres each earned scoring opportunities, but both were saved by Austin Heid in net.
 

 
In the opening minutes of the second half, the Bears earned back-to-back corner kicks resulting in a shot on net from Luehrs. McDaniel's Austin Heid earned the save to keep the score tied and was later tested by shots from Harry Lorenc and Grenda. In the 55^th minute, Lorenc's shot missed wide and Grenda missed just high to keep the match tied. McDaniel regained the lead in the 77^th minute, after a corner kick from Souder found the head of Matt Bowes to break the tie. The Bears almost answered back in the 87^th minute as Grenda's header was saved. McDaniel held off the last second chances from Ursinus to escape with a 3-2 victory.  
 


"I'm proud of our senior class, they are such a strong part of our team on and off the field," Head Coach Daniel Clitnovici said. "They left this program in a better place then where they found it four years ago. We will miss them."


 
The Bears held a 19-13 advantage in shots, a 10-7 edge in shots on goal, and a 7-3 edge in corner kicks. McDaniel's Austin Heid was given the victory in net collecting eight saves, while Schoenberg was credited with four saves over 90 minutes of action.
 


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