EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The East Stroudsburg men's soccer team came away with a crucial three points in the conference standings after pulling out a 3-2 win over Shepherd. The Warriors are 8-5-2 overall and 4-2-1 in-conference.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The scoring began in the 27th minute, as the Warriors transitioned upfield. Owen Rennie carried the ball through midfield and passed it down the right side to AJ Rivera. Rivera dribbled down close to the goal line before cutting in and drawing a crowd, creating a passing lane to an open Nathan Bradway in the middle of the box. Bradway took the shot on first touch and beat Shepherd's Aidan Houck with a shot inside the right post to make the score 1-0.
- Shepherd responded shortly after to even the game before halftime with a goal in the 38th minute. Off a Warriors' free kick, Houck came out of the net to stop a free kick and quickly punted the ball downfield. Josh Petty won the battle for possession, settling the ball in time before Warriors' goalkeeper Phil Sykes could get out far enough and even the game up.
- The first chance of the second half went to Shepherd, and the Rams cashed in on the opportunity in the 49th minute. Mac Long had the ball outside the box in the middle of the field, and he hit Josh Petty in stride as he broke through back line, and finished the look with a sliding shot to the right side to put Shepherd ahead.
- Needing a response, the Warriors controlled play in the attacking zone five minutes later. Darryl Longdon took a throw-in for ESU, launching it all the way to Ethan Flickinger just outside the six-yard box. Houck came out to try and punch it away, but Flickinger headed the ball backwards as Jace Seara crept down towards the goal line and put it in the open net.
- With time running out and the score still tied, Sykes sent the ball downfield to a crowd of players, where Longdon emerged with possession and nearly got a shot off, but a Rams defender timed his slide tackle to take away the chance. The ball went out to the left side of the field, as Owen Rennie was the first there to collect possession. Rennie took a couple of steps in before sending a low crosser with pace towards the net, and Longdon got his foot on it to place the ball inside the left post and put East Stroudsburg ahead with under two minutes to go.
GAME NOTES
- The Warriors have not lost to the Rams since their first meeting in 2014, owning a 14-1-1 record in the all-time series.
- Longdon's goal was the first game-winner scored in the final 10 minutes of regulation for East Stroudsburg since Oct. 29, 2022 in a 1-0 win over Shippensburg, and the latest game-winning goal in regulation since Oct. 22, 2019 in a 2-1 win against District of Columbia.
- The top four in scoring for the Warriors all registered at least one point today, with Seara leading the way with 14, followed by Rennie (13), Bradway (10), then Flickinger (7).
- The Warriors led in shots (17-12) and shots on goal (10-6), as Sykes made four stops for ESU.
UP NEXT
- East Stroudsburg travels to Bloomsburg in a battle of the second- and third-seeded teams in the PSAC East, taking on the Huskies at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29.
