SELINSGROVE, PA (October 15, 2022) – On the back of their first victory of the season earlier in the week, Susquehanna men's soccer returned to home soil on Saturday afternoon to host Landmark opponent Catholic University. Despite a scrappy first half that saw the River Hawks take a lead into halftime, they ultimately fell 3-1 on the day.
The game would get off to an unusual start, as in just the second minute of the game, Susquehanna would get a marker on the board through a Catholic own goal. A quick run down the Catholic sideline and a cross into the box saw a Cardinal defender lay out to try to clear the ball with his head, but instead head it straight into his own net. From there, it was all about defense for the River Hawks in an effort to hold on to the lead, as Catholic bossed possession and scoring chances. SU goalkeeper Gerrit Stech made two big saves in the first half to help keep the score at 1-0.
After holding firm in the first frame, the floodgates burst open in the opening minutes of the second half. The Cardinals suddenly had everything clicking on offense, moving straight down the field on three straight opportunities and scoring all three to move into a commanding two-goal lead. They would simply glide through the River Hawk defenses, making quick passes and crosses, clinically finishing when it came to the shots.
From there, Susquehanna would look for chances to get back on the board but struggled to produce much, unable to keep much possession. Their best chance in the second half came a few minutes after the Catholic barrage, when a quick counterattack ball over the Cardinal defense came to Max Paczewski, who got a one on one chance to run onto. The Catholic keeper would play it well though, rushing out to try to meet the ball and put off the shot before making a glancing save to push the ball to the right of the net as Paczewski attempted to shoot past him.
Meanwhile, Stech was called on to make three more saves just to keep the score at 3-1. He totaled five saves in the game.
The River Hawks will continue a three-game stretch of Landmark games on Wednesday evening as they'll visit Juniata College for a 7 pm kickoff. They'll return home on Saturday, October 22 at 1 pm to host Scranton and celebrate Senior Day.
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--RIVER HAWKS--
