CENTER VALLEY, Pa.- The best opportunities in soccer games
between evenly matched teams often come off dead-ball situations. As is
the case in NASCAR, the team that wins the restart battle has a big
advantage in winning the day's contest. This afternoon's Freedom
Conference tussle at DeSales featured a pair of well organized defenses.
The host Bulldogs (7-2-2 1-0 Freedom) )scored twice on restarts to earn
the 2-1 win.
With the goal boxes at both ends of the field
pretty chewed up from a wet week of games, every serve into the area in
front of the goal would be a challenge for the goalkeepers. Eastern
earned the first corner kick of the afternoon, but the hosts were able
to get into wide positions and force four corners over the next 15
minutes. The prodigious throw-ins of DeSales' center back Tyler Nolan
put the Eastern back line under more pressure.
A series of
fighting off long tosses put the Eastern back row under pressure. The
Bulldogs were able to crack into the scoring column on yet another long
toss in the 26th minute. DeSales midfielder Brandon Moninghoff was able
to deflect a Nolan throw from 35 yards out over Eastern goalkeeper Kyle
Nichols.
Brandon Beaumont's strike in the run of play six minutes
before half gave the Eagles a chance to equalize, but the shot tailed
just left of the goal. DeSales had an 8-6 edge in shots and a 6-1 edge
in corners in the first half.
The seventh DeSales corner of the
afternoon proved to be unlucky for the Eagles. Nolan, up from his
central defender position, doubled the Bulldog lead in the 61st minute.
The
Eagles applied pressure in response. After a flurry of shots and
activity in front of the DeSales goal, they cut the deficit in half in
the 71st minute on a Jair Saenz free kick goal following a Nolan foul in
the 71st minute.
The Eagles (5-2-1, 0-1 Freedom) return to
action at Penn State-Brandywine on Wednesday before returning to league
action at home against Maanhattanville next Saturday afternoon.
Box Score