Box Score
Erie, Pa. – The No. 21 Mercyhurst men's soccer team dominated play against the visiting University of the District of Columbia, registering four first-half goals on the way to a 4-0 victory Thursday, Sept. 17. Paul Neill notched two goals, while Nicholas Thompson tallied for the sixth game in a row and Austin Solomon netted his first career strike. The Lakers swept all six games of their early homestand.
From the opening kickoff, the Lakers controlled play. For the fifth game in a row, Thompson opened the scoring for the Lakers. Nate Stern took a free kick from near the right sideline. He sent a low cross which Thompson shot past the keeper and into the net for his sixth goal of the season and a 1-0 Mercyhurst advantage just 7:38 into the contest.
The Lakers maintained the pressure, resulting in two goals during a three-minute span. In the 22nd minute, Eric Steinmetz activated from his defender position, dribbling down the left flank and into the box. Neill stabbed in Steinmetz' cross into the net, giving the home side a 2-0 cushion.
Less than three minutes later, Dean Atkins attempted a shot from the left side. His shot ricocheted off of the goalpost, and Neill blasted the rebound into the net at 24:26 for a 3-0 edge. Neill's goal marked his third of the season.
Austin Solomon pounced on an errant pass by the Univ. of D.C. defense in the final minute of the first half. Solomon's shot was true, and the Lakers led 4-0 at 44:50 on the freshman's first career goal.
The Lakers outshot the Firebirds 14-9 during the first half, including 6-4 in shots on goal.
While the Lakers' offense kept the ball in the attacking third for a majority of the match, the Mercyhurst defense held the opposing attackers under control. They did not allow a shot by the Univ. of D.C. for the first 25 minutes of the second half. When the Firebirds were able to put two shots on target, Laker keeper Ryan Wagner calmly palmed both offerings over the crossbar. The Firebirds were unable to break through the Mercyhurst defense, and the Lakers posted a 4-0 victory.
For the game, Mercyhurst outshot UDC 25-20, including 11-6 in shots on goal.
Wagner earned his first clean sheet at Mercyhurst, making six stops for the shutout. The Firebirds' Kareem Gray made six saves.
With the win, the Lakers improve to 6-1, winning six straight, while the Firebirds are now 1-4-1.
The Lakers have held the last three opponents off the scoresheet, and have posted 277:14 of shutout soccer. The last time the team posted three or more shutouts in a row was a six-game streak in Sept. 2006. They piled up 567 minutes with no goals allowed during that skein, which happened during an eight-game winning streak.
Thompson's current six-game goal-scoring streak ties Kurt Young's effort in Sept. 2006 as the longest stretch of consecutive games with a goal score during the tenure of head coach Keith Cammidge. He has also scored the Lakers' last three game-winners.
Neill's two-goal effort is the third for a Mercyhurst player this season, and second game in a row in which a Laker has struck twice. Billy Colton connected for two tallies Sept. 11 vs. Cal, while Christoph Hampel scored twice Sept. 6 against Lock Haven.
Wagner and fellow Laker goalkeeper Diego Gustin have each posted one individual shutout, combining for two others. The last time two Mercyhurst keepers posted a shutout in the same season was in 2001, when Mike Franks recorded three clean sheets and Matt Sullivan had one.
Mercyhurst travels to face No. 15 Slippery Rock Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. Both teams have gone 2-0 in PSAC West play thus far.
