FERRUM, Va. – The Shenandoah University men's soccer team got back into the winning column, picking up their first conference win in the conference opener against Ferrum. The Hornets (6-3-1, 1-0-0) got a hat trick from
Nathan Yared, while
Chinedu Ikem picked up his fifth goal of the year. The Hornets took a 1-0 lead in the 24
th minute before Yared exploded for three second half goals, with the final two coming in the last minute of play.
Gianncarlo Alderetes started in goal for the Hornets and earned another clean sheet while making three saves; the shutout was his fourth of the year. The Hornets dominated possession firing 21 shots toward the Ferrum keeper, with eight on frame. The Hornets also held a 10-2 advantage in corner kicks.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Hornets started quickly earning back-to-back corners within the first three minutes of play, but were turned away and kept off the board. Ferrum attempted to strike on their first offensive possession, but Alderetes made his first save of the game in the 12
th minute to keep the game scoreless. Shenandoah started to pick up the pressure as
Jarbin Rodriguez,
Kyle Welch, and Ikem fired shots, just off target. After earning a foul just outside the box, the Ferrum keeper saved Rodriguez's shot. The goalie and defender tried to play keep away from the Hornets, but after a miscue from the Panther defender, the ball ended up on the foot of
Kyle Welch, who promptly found Ikem wide open in the box and, after a touch buried a ball in the back of the net to give the Hornets the 1-0 lead. The Hornets only allowed one more shot the rest of the half, which was off target, as the ball was down in the Ferrum zone for the remainder of the period. Shenandoah took that 1-0 lead into the break.
Looking to increase their 1-0 lead, Ikem and Welch each had early shots in the second half but were not able to capitalize. After a Hornet corner kick, Ferrum had two close calls, but the Hornet defenders neutralized the Panther attack as both shots were off target. After a goal kick, the ball bounced around the midfield until
Tas Raji and Welch forced a turnover that
Nathan Yared picked up. Yared then played give-and-go with Ikem, and when Yared got the ball back, he carved up three defenders as he beat the keeper on the ground to the far post. Ferrum, attempting to get back into the game, had two more shots on goal in the final 15 minutes, but Alderetes came up big with the final two saves. With the Hornets threatening with under 90 seconds to play,
Kyle Welch was fouled just outside the box.
Nathan Yared stepped up for the free kick and blasted a left-footed shot over the wall and past a diving keeper for his second goal of the game. Off of the restart, the Panthers tried to just run out the clock, but after another turnover,
Aidan Browne played a through ball to
Connor Robles, who went flying down the sideline. As Robles was cutting in, he was taken down in the box and awarded a penalty kick. One goal away from the hat trick, Yared was called upon and easily blasted a shot past the keeper with 16 seconds remaining.
UP NEXT:
The Hornets wrap up their five-game road trip on Wednesday, as they continue conference play, traveling to Hampden-Sydney for a 7 pm match.
#GoSUHornets
