COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Behind two first half goals, the Ursinus Men's Soccer team earned a crucial 2-1 win over Gettysburg in Centennial Conference action on Homecoming Saturday night at Patterson Field.
With the win, the Bears improved to 6-5-2 and 3-2-1 in Centennial Conference play while picking up their first win over Gettysburg since 2013. Meanwhile, the Bullets fell to 7-6-1 overall and 2-3-1 in Centennial Conference action.
The first two key chances of the game went to the Bullets but both were turned away in the opening minutes. Sophomore
Nicholas Grippa got the Bears on the board in the 13
th minute after collecting a pop up in the box and working around two defenders to create a shot for a goal to make it 1-0. First-year
Joseph Kmetz added to the Bears lead in the 20
th minute to make it 2-0 after senior goalkeeper
Josiah Moore sent a long free kick into the box that initially bounced off Grippa and right to Kmetz. Gettysbug turned up the heat late in the first half but Moore stood tall and kept the Bears up two into halftime.
Gettysburg nearly got on the board in the 49
th minute when they snuck a ball past Moore but Kmetz kicked it away to keep the Bears up two. However, the Bullets finally broke through in the 55
th minute with a goal to make it 2-1. Moore snatched two Gettysburg shot attempts in the 54
th and 59
th minutes and stopped another in the 70
th minute to keep the Bears in front. The Bullets had one last prime opportunity to potentially tie the game in the 89
th minute with a close-range shot in the box that Moore dove to collect and preserve the win.
The Bullets held a 22-8 shot advantage for the game behind a 13-3 edge in the second half and a 12-5 advantage in shots on goals. Gettysburg held a slight 4-3 advantage in corner kicks as well. Moore made nine saves in a valiant effort in 90 minutes while Gettysburg goalkeeper Anthony Marziliano made three saves in the full time. Grippa finished with three points on a goal and assist.
Ursinus returns to action on Wednesday, October 21
st as they will travel to face Franklin & Marshall at 7:00 p.m.
