Box Score

SELINSGROVE, Pa. – The Susquehanna men's soccer team faced a tough test on Wednesday night, taking on an Elizabethtown team that was riding a nine-game win streak, and could not put an end to that streak, falling 1-0.

The Crusaders (10-6-0) lost just their sixth game of the fall, with all six losses decided by just one goal.

The Blue Jays (12-1-2) took 11 shots to SU's six, including three on goal as Susquehanna goalie B.J. Merriam (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional) finished with two saves in the 90 minutes of action.

Defense was the name of the game with neither team registering a shot until the 11th minute on Jim Robertiello's (Chester, N.J./West Morris Mendham) hard shot that sailed high. Robertiello finished with two shots in the game, the only SU player to finish with more than one shot.

With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, both teams had taken just two shots apiece, none of which were on goal.

That changed when, with 9:34 on the clock, Elizabethtown's Tony Pacella got past an SU defender and left-footed the ball from 20 yards out that reached the upper part of the net, beyond the reach of Merriam. It remained 1-0 as the first half came to a close.

Tensions ran high in the second half and both teams maintained their aggressive play on the field, but scoring opportunities remained at a premium.

The Blue Jays did fire off eight shots over those final 45 minutes, but two were saved by Merriam to keep it a one-goal contest.

SU stood without a shot on goal until 2:29 remained when Sam Meister's (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing) header was saved by Blue Jays goalie Eric Carr to essentially seal the win for his squad.

Next game: Saturday, Oct. 30 vs. Drew (Senior Day) at 3:30 p.m. The Crusaders will host a Landmark semifinal game on Wednesday, Nov. 3 (time and opponent TBD).