COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. — The Ursinus College men's soccer team battled hard but fell to 22nd-ranked Salisbury University, 2-1, in a nonconference match Tuesday afternoon at Patterson Field.
The loss drops the Bears to 5-5-2 overall, while the Sea Gulls improve to 11-1-2.
The opening minutes were a battle, with both teams generating shot opportunities against the opposing defenses. The Sea Gulls broke through in the 14th minute when defender Brogan Eastlack scored off a corner kick, with assists from David Brunetti and Dale Gordon, to give Salisbury a 1-0 advantage.
The Bears responded just two minutes later with a goal of their own. First-year forward
Joseph Kmetz sent a shot into the upper-right corner of the goal in the 17th minute to tie the game at 1-1. On the play, first-year goalkeeper
Jaden Ottley sent a free kick into Salisbury's defensive box, where a loose ball found Kmetz for his third goal of the season.
The high-scoring first half continued as the Sea Gulls scored again in the 27th minute. Forward Noah Blankensop sent the ball into the left corner of the goal to give Salisbury a 2-1 lead at halftime.
In the 59th minute, senior
Matthew McFadden nearly found the equalizer for the Bears, but his attempt was saved by Salisbury goalkeeper Clif Nehman. Ursinus' best scoring opportunity came in the final minute when senior
Mason Lorah nearly converted a header inside the box, but his attempt deflected off a defender and the post, keeping the deficit at one.
Ursinus earned another corner kick with 24 seconds remaining but was unable to convert, falling 2-1. Salisbury held an 18-4 advantage in shots, along with a 9-2 edge in shots on goal. The Sea Gulls also led 8-3 in corner kicks. Nehman earned the victory with one save, while Ottley suffered the loss for Ursinus despite recording a career-high seven saves.
Ursinus will return to action Saturday when it hosts Gettysburg College in a Centennial Conference match at 8 p.m. Salisbury will travel to Abington, Pennsylvania, to face Penn State Abington on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
