COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – A fast start powered the Ursinus men's soccer team to a 2-1 Centennial Conference victory over McDaniel College on Saturday afternoon at Patterson Field.
With the victory, Ursinus improves to 4-3-1 on the season, picking up their first Centennial victory, while the Green Terror suffered their first loss of the season, falling to 6-1-1 overall.
Senior forward
Matthew McFadden led the Bears' offense with a goal and an assist, while sophomore
Eliot Bowen netted the Bears' first tally. The victory gave Ursinus its first win over McDaniel since a 3-2 road victory in 2021.
The Bears continued their trend of getting out to a hot start, scoring a goal in the first 20 minutes for the third straight game. Bowen rocketed a goal into the left corner in the 16th minute off an assist from McFadden.
On the play, sophomore forward
Sean McFadden corralled a loose ball inside the box and sent a touch to
Matthew McFadden. After a cross into the box deflected off a McDaniel defender, Bowen made a move past a defender and sent a left-footed shot into the back of the net for the game's opening goal.
The ensuing minutes were a back-and-forth affair, as both teams traded shot attempts. Ursinus nearly increased its lead to two in the 43rd minute, but first-year
JohnPaul Fernandez's penalty kick was saved by McDaniel's goalkeeper Gavin Yartimyk. Each defense held strong throughout the remainder of the first half, leaving Ursinus with a 1-0 advantage at the break.
The second half began just as the game had started: with a quick Bears score. Ursinus was awarded its second penalty kick, with McFadden capitalizing in the 46th minute for his second goal of the season to give Ursinus a 2-0 lead.
The Green Terror battled back just eight minutes later, as forward Callen Kleinschmidt scored their first goal of the day. McDaniel continued to test the Ursinus defense with multiple shot opportunities in the final minutes. Ultimately, it was the Bears who held on to earn their first conference victory, 2-1.
Ursinus held a 16-14 shot advantage, along with a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal. The Green Terror and the Bears each totaled four corner kicks. Junior goalkeeper
Josiah Moore earned the win with five saves, while Yartimyk suffered the loss with four saves for McDaniel.
Ursinus will be back in action Wednesday when it takes on Haverford College at home at 7:30 p.m. McDaniel will travel to Baltimore, Maryland, to take on Johns Hopkins on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
