Resilient Offensive Attack Propels Cougars 1-0 Over Muskingum
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) () | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Muskingum () | 0 | 0 | 0 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – On Wednesday evening the University of Saint Francis Cougars (7-1-1) traveled to New Concord, Ohio to take on the Muskingum University Fighting Muskies (1-5) and prevailed 1-0 with a resilient attack on offense.
In the early going it was the Cougars who produced the first scoring opportunities sending one shot to the goal after another only to have them be saved or go wide. Through the game's first 12 minutes, the Cougars managed six shots but couldn't seem to find the net.
The first half progressed with the Cougars applying the pressure on the Muskies throughout most of the frame. Then it was the Huskies that created a couple scoring opportunities, but freshman goalkeeper Joe Deitering stepped up and made a couple saves to keep the game scoreless.
The game went to halftime a scoreless tie despite 10 shots by the Cougars.
Heading into the second half a couple more stellar saves by Deitering kept his team in the game, and then the Cougars went back on the offensive.
The Cougars kept pressing, and finally in the 65th minute their persistence paid off as sophomore forward Alessandro Florencia knocked in the first goal of the game on an assist by sophomore midfielder Simon Hemler to give Saint Francis a 1-0 lead.
Now with a one-goal lead, the Cougars didn't stop pressing. They managed several more shots on net despite the Muskies' goalkeeper stepping up and making great saves to keep his team in the game.
As the game entered the final two minutes the Cougars were still clinging to their one-goal lead. A couple corner kicks created a couple more shots and by the time of the buzzer the Cougars had prevailed 1-0.
"We're proud to get a result on the road, despite not playing our best match," Head Coach Jake Essig said. "Now it's time to shift our focus towards Crossroads League play!"
Throughout the game the Cougars had 23 shots with 11 shots on goal while Deitering stepped up and made five saves of his own.
The Cougars resume play on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Mishawaka, Indiana to begin Crossroads League play against the Bethel University Pilots (7-1-1) beginning at 3:00 pm.
Cougar fans, stay updated with all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting Saintfranciscougars.com or by downloading the Saint Francis Cougars app.