Ursinus College

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. - The Ursinus men's soccer team fought hard in an action-packed second half, but eventually fell 2-1 to Lycoming College in their season opener at Patterson Field.
 
Lycoming brought the pressure in the opening minutes, with multiple shot attempts in the 9th minute saved by sophomore goalie Jaden Ottley. Ursinus countered with attempts by sophomore defender Jahsen Cole, and first-year forward Ryan O'Neill, but the teams remained scoreless at halftime. Lycoming held an 8-6 shot advantage at the half, while also leading 4-2 on corner kicks.
 
Lycoming came out of the second half strong, ending the scoring drought in the 46th minute. Junior Jake Keeney nailed a deep goal over the defense, careening in from about 30 yards away.
 
The Bears answered soon after in the 60th minute, with a goal by sophomore forward Nicholas Grippa. First-year forward Joseph Kmetz delivered the assist, a soaring cross that Grippa headed in for the goal.
 
Both teams traded shot attempts, but the Warriors eventually were able to capitalize. In the 67th minute, sophomore midfielder Vinny Tartaglia connected on a shot into the left corner of the goal, giving them a 2-1 advantage. The Bears answered with shots from senior Simon Muther and Grippa but were unable to capitalize falling 2-1.
 
Lycoming held an 18-16 shot advantage and led 8-5 in shots-on-goal. They also held a 10-4 advantage in corner kicks. Jaden Ottley made five saves for the Bears, in comparison to Bennet's four for the Warriors.
 
Ursinus will return to action on Friday, September 4, when they travel to take on Rutgers-Camden at 7:00 p.m.