By Miguel Gonzalez
Staff Writer
The Lions opened the season on the winning and losing end last weekend, as they soundly defeated the Dickinson College Red Devils in a 5-1 victory, but lost to the Elizabethtown Blue Jays, 4-1.
On the road in Carlisle, Pa., the Lions competed against Dickinson College on Friday, Sept. 2, in the Elizabethtown Blue Jay Classic tournament. The Red Devils offense pressured the team immediately with shots on the Lions goal. Senior goalkeeper Jake Nesteruk finished the first half with six saves.
Following a corner kick from junior midfielder Matthew Edmonds, senior midfielder Nick Costelloe scored off a pass from sophomore midfielder Nick Sample. At the 40th minute, sophomore midfielder Matt Skinner added another goal with an assist from freshman forward Mateo Panizza.
“Mateo has been a great offensive addition being that he has an assist and a goal within the first two games he’s played,” said Domenic Polidoro, a senior midfielder.
The Lions cruised to a 5-1 win. Senior forward Thomas Hogue scored the third Lions goal with an assist from Sample.
The Red Devils countered eight minutes later with a goal of their own, putting them on the scoreboard for the first time all game.
Toward the end of the match, the Lions increased their lead with a penalty kick goal by midfielder Joerg Jack and an own goal by the Red Devils.
The next day, the Lions struggled to carry momentum in a 4-1 loss to Elizabethtown College. During the first 20 minutes, the Lions offense shot to no avail. The Blue Jays reached to the back of the net first with a goal off a pass to the corner.
“Early in the game, it looked like we were going to be the team to break the 0-0 tie, but (Blue Jay) Gilbert Waso turned a half chance into a goal with his excessive agility and precision,” Polidoro said.
The Lions confidence further receded when the Blue Jays scored two more goals in two minutes.
“We had some defensive breakdowns that led to two easy goals for them and before we knew it, the score went from 1-0 to 3-0,” Polidoro said.
The Lions 3-0 deficit proved too hefty to surpass, as the Lions only scored one goal, despite five corner kick attempts and eight shots.
“We had a number of quality chances against Elizabethtown, but we were unable to convert. In order to win games, we have to figure out how to defend as a team,” Costelloe said. “We will have time to find a rhythm in our non-conference schedule before we open up with conference play. This is a great group of guys with some real talent, and I fully expect us to rebound and have an incredibly successful season.”
The Lions remain on the road as they travel to Hoboken, N.J., for a match against the Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks on Wednesday, Sept. 7. The Ducks lost their home opener 1-0.
