WINCHESTER, Va. – The Shenandoah University men's soccer team won a thrilling game against Stevenson Wednesday evening in the 88
th minute of play after outshooting the Mustangs 28-5. The Hornets (4-1-1) got a goal from
Gabe Eckenrode after multiple corner kick attempts and shots on goal. Eckenrode was there to clean up the mess and in front of a pile of players from both teams, got just enough foot on the ball to finally get one past the keeper. Nine out of the starting 11 Hornets registered a shot with seven players registering multiple shots, but it was Eckenrobe in the 88
th minute that played hero.
Gianncarlo Alderetes got the start in goal and picked up his first clean sheet in a victory making two saves while facing only five shots.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Hornets came out firing right off of the opening draw,
Tarick Kamara quickly got three shots off in the first two minutes before earning a corner kick on the third one. Off of the corner,
Kyle Welch got a shot off that sailed wide as the score remained tied at zero.
Jarbin Rodriguez got the first on goal that was saved in the 16
th minute. The Mustangs had their first opportunity on the ensuing possession, but Alderetes made his first of two saves, keeping the score level.
Jayden Dillard then had his opportunity to score, but once again the Mustang keeper made the save as the Hornets continued to apply pressure on the defense. The Hornets had their best opportunity in the first half when
Xavier Thompson got a ball down the left side in space and had a clear shot that just went wide right.
Sali Diaw and
Tas Raji took the final two shots for the Hornets as the score remained tied heading to the break.
In the second half, it was all Hornets as the pressure started to increase and the ball was constantly down in the Mustangs' defensive third after getting shots from Eckenrode, Dillard, and
Connor Robles that were all saved. Shenandoah held Stevenson to no shots in the second half for the 26 minutes of play and then four total shots, with Alderetes easily making the only save that was one frame. In the 69
th minute, the Hornets had their best chance in the half with the ball finding the back of the net, but the assistant referee had the flag raised for offsides and the game remained scoreless. With time running down, and it seeming like the game was going to end in a scoreless draw, four straight corners and two shots later, a ball went bouncing through the box and eventually found the foot of
Gabe Eckenrode, his first of the season, and the Hornets ran the clock out to secure the 1-0 victory. This victory for the Hornets snapped a four-game winless streak against Stevenson with the last win coming back in September of 2009.
UP NEXT
The Hornets hit the road for five straight games. First, they will travel to Susquehanna on Saturday, for a game with the River Hawks that will start at 2 pm. Shenandoah will not return home until Sunday, October 6th for a conference match with Randolph.
#GoSUHornets
