GREENVILLE, Pa. (Oct. 1) – The Waynesburg University men's soccer team traveled north to Thiel on Saturday for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) showdown. The Yellow Jackets bounced back after giving up a first-half goal to pick up a 2-1 victory.
 
Thiel (0-9-2, 0-4-0) opened the scoring with a goal in the 26^th minute and took that edge into the halftime break. After 15 minutes of play in the second period, the Tomcats still held a 1-0 advantage. However, the final 30-plus minutes belonged to Waynesburg (3-3-4, 1-0-2).
 
Junior Ben White (Bluefield, W.Va. / Graham) broke up the shutout early in the 60^th minute after taking a pass from freshman Tyler Martin (Parker, Colo. / Luther) and finding the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1.
 
Just over eight minutes later, Waynesburg posted the eventual game winner, which was provided by freshman Alex Canestraro (Wheeling, W.Va. / Wheeling Park). Once again, Martin put a teammate in position to score with his second assist of the contest.
 
Thiel logged a pair of shots on goal down the stretch of the game, but sophomore goalkeeper Michael Francus (Bethel Park, Pa. / Bethel Park) was up to the task and did his part to preserve to the victory. Francus tallied six saves in his most recent decision.
 
The closely contested nature of the game was reflected in the final statistics. The Yellow Jackets held narrow edges in total shots (16-14) and shots on goal (8-7). One area the visitors held a notable advantage in was corner kicks (8-3). Waynesburg also had to endure a chippy, physical style of play from Thiel, which committed 16 fouls.
 
The Jackets are back in action on Wednesday, Oct. 5, when they welcome Washington & Jefferson to John F. Wiley Stadium for a PAC matchup. Start time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.