Shippensburg men’s soccer team went up 1-0 in the 41st minute of play and held the lead through halftime, but the Wilmington (DE) Wildcats won the comeback victory 2-1 on Wednesday on their home field.
Sophomore Jeff Ballard placed a 20-foot lefty shot into the top corner of the net to start the scoring, assisted by Renaldo Garcia, who reversed the field with his pass.
Junior Derek Adams had a scoring chance in the first half as well, but the shot was blocked at the left post in the 17th minute. Ballard had a chance in the first half as well, but the ball went just over the crossbar.
The Wildcats (1-1) equalized the game in the 62nd minute on a penalty kick. SU goalkeeper Evan Raimist, sophomore, whiffed on Wilmington’s second goal of the night in the 78th minute, which put the Wildcats out in front for good.
Wilmington, an NCAA Tournament qualifier in 2013, out-shot the Raiders 18-7 in the game and had the advantage with corner kicks 5-3.
SU (2-1) is 17th in Division II this year according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s (NSCAA) national ranking, the highest they have placed since 1996 when the association was founded.
They return to the field next Wednesday in a 4 p.m. match away at West Virginia Wesleyan in Buckhannon, WV.
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