The Shippensburg University men’s soccer team extended its winning streak to two games on Wednesday by edging out PSAC competitor Lock Haven University 1–0.
The Raider offense started the game slow and was struggling to keep possession of the ball as the Bald Eagles recorded three shots within the first six minutes of play, one of which was saved by SU goalkeeper Clay Sale.
Sale recorded four saves in the shutout, his second consecutive shutout and his third total for the season.
It was not until the 10th minute of regulation when SU started moving the ball down the field and recorded three shots within five minutes.
The first half was an evenly matched back-and-forth battle between both offenses recording seven shots each but both SU’s and LHU’s goalies were brick walls in the net.
The first 30 minutes of the second half unfolded in the same fashion as the first and it seemed as if the game would go into a scoreless overtime but the Raiders finally found a hole in the Golden Eagles defense.
In the 79th minute of regulation SU looked like it would break the scoreless tie when SU’s Derrick Roy received a well-placed pass, but his header hit off the post.
Less than a minute later Roy passed the ball to freshman Jeff Ballard who knocked the ball past the Bald Eagle goalie Jonathan Howitt for his third goal of the season.
The Raiders could not celebrate quite yet as LHU had one last chance to tie the game with a corner kick in the final minute of the game, but SU broke up the play.
The Raiders now improve to 6–5–1 on the season and 3–3 in the PSAC and have aspirations of making the PSAC playoffs with five games remaining in the regular season.
SU will have a few days to rest and prepare for another tough PSAC matchup this weekend.
The Raiders will travel to Bloomsburg University on Saturday to face off against the Huskies. The game is scheduled to start at 1p.m.
The Slate welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.