MEADVILLE, Pa. -- A delay of more than an hour and a last-second field change couldn't stop the Allegheny College men's soccer team from earning a 2-1 victory over Franciscan University on Wednesday night.
An electrical issue at Frank B. Fuhrer '48 Field initially delayed Wednesday's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup. When the lights couldn't be restored, the game was moved next door to the blue turf. Kickoff took place a little more than 70 minutes after its originally scheduled time following the conclusion of the women's soccer game against the Barons.
It took more than 62 minutes for either team to find the back of the net. Franciscan (2-5-3, 2-1-3 PAC) struck first, but the Gators (5-6-1, 2-2-1 PAC) needed less than seven minutes to bury the equalizer. A yellow card assessed to Franciscan's Anthony Venditti set up
Will Gruca (Baden, Pa./Ambridge) with a set piece from about 25 yards out. The left-footed senior midfielder booted the ball into the upper right corner of the net, leaving the goalie no chance to attempt a save.
Gruca then set up the game-winning goal in the 82nd minute. He drove towards the box on the right side of the field and fed the ball to
Arthur Every (Cranleigh, United Kingdom/Glebelands Secondary). With one touch, Every quickly sent the ball across the six-yard box to
Cole Bowser (Forest Hill, Md./John Carroll), who was wide open on the back post for an easy score.
The Barons didn't go down with a fight. In the closing seconds, goalie Aiden Miller booted the ball deep into a crowd of players. It pinged off the head of two different Franciscan players before George Phillips tapped it into the net. However, the assistant referee flagged the Barons for being offside in the six-yard box, nullifying the game-tying marker.
Inside the Box Score
- Stats for both teams were fairly even, but Allegheny finished with more shots (16-to-15) and more corner kicks (3-to-1).
- Both teams were given three yellow cards.
- Gruca earned a game-high three points with one goal and one assist.
- Bowser netted the game-winning goal in the 82nd minute.
- Every also collected a point with the primary assist on Bowser's goal.
- Goalie Cadan Bennett (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) made seven saves, and center back Colin Hill (Volant, Pa./Wilmington) added another team save before halftime.
- Venditti scored the only goal for the Barons, giving them a brief lead in the 63rd minute.
News and Notes
- Allegheny improved to 5-6-1 overall and 2-2-1 against PAC opponents.
- The Gators are unbeaten in their last four games, going 3-0-1 with three home wins.
- Gruca added to his team lead in points with his sixth goal and third assist of the season.
- Bowser found the back of the net for the fourth time and earned his first game-winning goal of the fall.
Up Next
The Gators will travel to Waynesburg University for a PAC contest on Saturday, October 10, at 4 p.m.
