ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Sam Sutherland scored with three minutes to play to lift Eastern University Men's Soccer to a 4-3 Homecoming win over the visiting DeSales University Bulldogs. The Eagles (6-7-1, 2-0)  rallied for an early 3-1 deficit to claim the win to stand alone atop the MAC Freedom table.

How it Happened:
The Bulldogs stunned the large crowd with a goal on a corner kick in the third minute. The Eagles equalized two and a half minutes later on a Derek Buhrman goal. The first year forward found space behind the DeSales back row and gathered a misplay from a defender for his third goal of the year. 

The Bulldogs again quieted the Eastern crowd. The same two players combined for the second goal as Sean Murray served a ball in from the right and Dimeji Oyinkolade put away a good near-foot finish. The Bulldog lead doubled on a rebound goal on a restart in the 22nd minute.

Down two goals, things looked bleak. The Eagles came into action averaging just less than a goal a game.

Jake Sankey led the comeback. The senior center back picked up a pass on his own half and took space with the dribble. After twenty-five yards, he uncorked a right-footed ball that knuckled from left to right, caught the inside of the left upright and slipped into the goal.

The importance of the goal matched its quality. Down just a goal the Eagles started to find confidence where there had been uncertainty. Though the equalizing goal came on an own goal, it came as a result of some outstanding play. With a significant number of subs in the match, the Eagles were pushing the pace. Aiden Link earned the edge on the right side and whipped a dangerous cross into the scoring area for Kasper Zaba-Paplawski. A retreating DeSales defender lunged to eliminate the chance for the Eastern forward. He kept Zaba-Paplowski from getting to the cross but caught his goalkeeper on the wrong foot in the process. The equalizer came with less than two minutes to go in the half.

The Eagles controlled play to start the second half. Even with a 16-2 edge in shots, Eastern did not break through until the 88th minute. The play came after Emmanuel Hewitt was fouled on the left flank. Matt Mitchell bent a right-footed serve toward goal and Sutherland beat his mark to the ball and slipped it home with the outside of his right foot. It is the junior's second goal this year and fifth career game-winning goal.

Seconds later, Julio Ardon ripped a 20-yard shot to the upper corner, but DeSales goalkeeper Jake Padula parried the ball around the post for a corner kick for his eighth and final save of the match. When the match ended, Padula and nine of his teammates were in the Eastern box trying to drive home game-tying goal on a free kick with four seconds to play. The Eagles defended it well and escaped with the win. 

Anthony Hitchcock made three saves to secure the win.

Coach Payne Says:
"I thought the start of the game was very hectic, and it was difficult to get control. Early in the game it was end to end which normally doesn't happen. I think it was partly because of DeSales defensive tactics but also our decisions on when to go forward or when to keep it."

"Going down 3-1 is something we never want. We gave up two goals on set piece opportunities and we must get better in this area. Giving up 3 goals early in the game in the manner we did was disappointing. But we were able to get ourselves out of it and fight our way back into the game. I thought we showed great character by getting into half time 3-3."

"The second half was very different. I thought we controlled the game way more. We didn't give up any real chances that were dangerous and we were creating chances, getting into the penalty area, and playing in our opponent's half. Not all wins are perfect. I am so proud of my guys and this was a great experience for them to get this win in front of a big crowd like this. We are happy to be 2-0 in conference. We gotta continue to get better though."

Up Next:
The Eagles travel to Delaware Valley on Wednesday and will back in Wilkes-Barre for a match against Wilkes on Saturday.