COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College men's soccer team won its third consecutive contest, defeating Haverford College, 3-0, on Wednesday evening at Patterson Field.
The win improves the Bears to 5-3-1 on the season and 2-1 in Centennial Conference action, while the Fords dropped to 7-2-1 overall and 1-2 in conference play. The victory marked the fourth shutout of the season for Ursinus and their most goals in a game since earning a 3-1 decision over Gwynedd Mercy University in September of last season.
Senior forward
Matthew McFadden led the Bears' offense with a goal and an assist, while sophomore
Nicholas Grippa and first-year
Ryan O'Neill each added goals for Ursinus.
Both teams got off to a slow start offensively, in large part due to the strong defense being played. Sophomore
Noah Huber recorded the first shot of the contest in the eighth minute, but his attempt was saved by the Fords' defense. The teams would combine for just six total shots throughout the first half, with four by Ursinus and two for Haverford. The half ended with both teams scoreless, marking the first time the Bears have not scored in the first half since their September 9th game against Rowan University.
Ursinus responded out of the halftime break, tallying three corners within the first five minutes of the second half before McFadden connected on a penalty-kick goal in the 55th minute. On the play, McFadden took a patient approach before firing a shot into the left corner for his third goal of the season and putting the Bears ahead by one.
The Bears' offensive attack did not stop there, though. Just over a minute later, a penalty drawn by sophomore forward
Nicholas Grippa inside the box led to another penalty kick for McFadden. This time, his initial shot was saved, but the rebound found Grippa, whose shot found the back of the net for his second goal of the season, giving Ursinus a 2-0 lead in the 56th minute.
The Bears' defense denied a few scoring opportunities from the Fords before connecting on a corner attempt in the 79th minute. On the chance, first-year forward
Joseph Kmetz found fellow first-year
Ryan O'Neill with a header inside the box for his second goal of the season. The score gave Ursinus a 3-0 lead, which it held onto to earn its second conference win of the season.
Ursinus held a 13-9 shot advantage, along with a 7-1 advantage in shots on goal. The Bears had nine corner kicks, compared to the Fords' six. Senior goalkeeper
Josiah Moore earned the win with one save, while Haverford goalkeeper Grayson Benson took the loss with four saves.
Ursinus will be back in action Saturday, as it travels to Allentown to take on Muhlenberg College at noon.
