Box Score Box Score
SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Wednesday evening's men's soccer match featured a pair of top ranked teams in the Mid-Atlantic Region as No. 6 Susquehanna hosted No. 8 Misericordia. Unfortunately for the Crusaders, the Cougars escaped Sassafras Field with a 1-0 victory.
However, the Crusaders will now host a Landmark Conference semifinal match on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. as Scranton knocked off Merchant Marine Academy 4-1 this evening to give SU the right to have a home playoff game, with the opponent yet to be determined.
SU (11-5-1) outshot Misericordia (12-5-0) by a 13-11 margin but a goal in the 41st minute of action proved to be all the offense that the Cougars needed.
The match's lone goal occurred at 40:48 in the first half as Misericordia's David Malaquias gathered the ball and headed to Parker McArdle who blasted a shot into the back of the cage to hand the Cougars a 1-0 lead right before intermission.
The second half began with both squads accounting for seven fouls before the game's second yellow card was issued. For the game, Susquehanna was called for 17 fouls compared to eight for the Cougars.
The Crusaders had four shots in the second period including a set-piece blast by senior midfielder Andrew Murphy (Natick, Mass. / Natick) that sailed just high of the net in the 82nd minute.
Murphy recorded a game-high five shots and junior midfielder Ryan Donlevie (Strathan, N.H. / Exeter) registered three shots. Senior goalkeeper Matt Salsman (Selinsgrove, Pa. / Selinsgrove Area) recorded three saves for the Crusaders.
Match notes:
Tonight's match was initially set to be played on Sept. 11 but thunderstorms postponed the game until this evening.
The Crusaders are now 6-5 against Misericordia since 2003.
