WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Sept. 9) – The Waynesburg University men's soccer team played its home opener under gorgeous conditions Monday night. The Yellow Jackets gave their fans a great first act to the 2019 season, as they won an entertaining 5-4 slugfest against Wilson.
Waynesburg (2-2) was the superior offensive team for the majority of the contest, outshooting the Phoenix (1-3) by a 22-8 margin. The home team also doubled up the opposition in shots on goal (12-6).
Freshman
David Brown (Seoul, South Korea / Yongsan International School of Seoul) needed just 6:27 of game time to open the scoring, doing so with an unassisted tally midway through the sixth minute. The Orange and Black doubled its lead to 2-0 13:23 later when senior
Sean McCann (Runcorn, England / Moon) sent a free kick towards the net that allowed junior
Daniel Hott (Cumberland, Md. / Fort Hill) to double his team's advantage.
Just when it looked like Waynesburg might run away with a one-sided win, Wilson fired back with two goals scored over 24 seconds in the 32
nd minute. The scored remained tied at 2-2 by the time halftime came around.
The Jackets regained their lead two minutes into the second period thanks to junior
Cam Sutherland (Millville, Mass. / Whitinsville Christian). Sophomore
Jake Hall (State College, Pa. / State College) logged his first collegiate point by assisting on the go-ahead tally.
Two minutes later, Wilson knotted the game back up with a score in the 49
th minute. With 24:33 remaining in the game, the Phoenix took their first lead of the evening at 4-3. Things looked grim for the home team, but the Yellow Jackets countered with an ending that left the home fans happy.
Waynesburg first tied things up at 4-4 in the 78
th minute. Senior
Dante Ohm (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Hills) did the honors after burying a shot off a cross from junior
Kyle Deaner (Somerset, Pa. / Somerset).
The contest looked destined for overtime as it wore into its final minute. However, Waynesburg decided to end things in regulation when senior
Nate Kummer (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Hills) was fouled inside the 18-yard penalty box. Kummer lined up and calmly beat the Phoenix keeper on the penalty kick to produce the game-winning point with 36 seconds left to play.
Waynesburg was able to run off the final moments of the game for one of its most entertaining wins in recent program history.
The Jackets' top scoring output of the night came in support of junior goalkeeper
Adam Dolan (McDonald, Pa. / West Allegheny), who tallied a pair of saves in the victory.
Waynesburg looks to keep its winning ways going on Wednesday, when it hosts Muskingum. Start time is scheduled for 8 p.m.
