Men's soccer earns fourth straight win in Friday game
The men’s soccer team faced the Westminster College Titans at home on Friday evening. The Tartans scored early, and finished the match 4–0, winning their fourth game in a row with a season record of 4–1.
The Tartans set the tone early in the match, driving into Titans territory within the first minute. In the fourth minute, sophomore midfielder Jack Painter opened scoring with his first goal of the season, finishing an assist from sophomore midfielder Elliot Cohen. The Tartans’ dominant play continued, and in the ninth minute they added to their lead with a goal from junior midfielder Zack Masciopinto’s third of the season, off a second assist from Cohen, bringing the score to 2–0. The Titans managed two shots on goal that were saved by junior goalkeeper Alec Lam, but even four substitutions in the middle of the half couldn’t give the Titans a spark to stay in the match. The Cardinal and Gray kept the ball away from their side of the field and kept possession, getting three shots on goal. The Tartans eventually scored again in the 36th minute after a goal by junior forward Anthony Gulli, his first of the season, the assist by sophomore forward Nicolas Poveda. The half ended with the score 3–0.
The Tartans maintained their aggressive attack after half-time. However, unlike the first half of the match, the second half remained scoreless for the first 35 minutes. Both Carnegie Mellon and Westminster had shots on goal, but neither team managed to get the ball in the back of the net until the 80th minute. The Tartans sealed their win when sophomore forward Alex Dziadosz sent the ball ahead for Poveda to score his first goal of the season, ending the match with the score 4–0.
Lam made four saves in the team’s fourth straight shutout after being named the University Athletic Association (UAA) Men’s Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week last week. The Tartans had 14 shots to the Titan’s seven and seven corner kicks to the Titans’ two.
The Tartans will continue their season in their next match against the Allegheny College Gators in Meadville, PA at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 18.