Box Score
Scranton, PA – Marywood University built a 3-0 lead midway through the first half of Wednesday evening’s non-conference season-opening non-conference men’s soccer game against Wilkes University and held on for a 3-2 win over the Colonels. The Pacers got two goals from William Gordon and one from Brett Megee to open their season with the victory.
A well-executed free kick put Marywood on the board in the 13th minute of the game. Richard Fifi (Trinidad and Tobago) played a corner kick to the far post where Christian Lawlor (Hillsdale, NJ) calmly one-timed the ball back across the face of the goal where Gordon (Harrisburg, PA) finished off the play by beating Wilkes goalkeeper Kaleb Smith.
The Pacers doubled their lead in the 20th minute when Brandon Ritter (Wantage, NJ) made a run down the left flank and slipped a ball to Megee (Easton, PA), who rifled home a shot from 16 yards just under the crossbar.
Gordon extended Marywood’s advantage to three just under three minutes later by picking off a loss ball in the Colonels’ box and fired a one-time shot into the back of the net.
Wilkes would gain some life in the 26th minute after being awarded a penalty after a Marywood foul in their own box. Ed Zulkowski stepped up to the line and scored, making the score 3-1 at halftime.
The two teams played evenly much of the second half, with each squad registering three shots apiece in the frame, but the Colonels would make things with just over three minutes to play as Joe Brennan slipped a ball across the goal mouth where Michael Turner scored to narrow the visitors’ gap to 3-2, but Marywood was able to hang on for the victory.
Marywood goalkeeper Shane Quinn (Clarks Summit, PA) was credited with three saves to earn his first victory in a Pacers uniform. Smith finished with five stops in the Colonels net.
The Pacers held an 8-5 advantage in shots for the game while Wilkes had six corners to Marywood’s three.
Marywood will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Allentown, PA to face defending Centennial Conference regular season champion Muhlenberg College in a non-conference tilt scheduled to kick-off at 5:00 p.m.