SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University men's soccer team snapped its two-game losing streak with a convincing 2-1 non-conference victory over Wheeling Jesuit University Saturday afternoon at James Egli Field.
The victory improves Slippery Rock's record to 2-4-1 overall. Wheeling Jesuit drops to 4-4 in the loss.
Jacob Thiel continued his hot streak with another goal Saturday. Thiel has now scored goals in back-to-back games for The Rock.
Ethan Augustin made his first collegiate goal count with a game-winning score in the 47th minute.
Mike Pcholinsky picked up his second assist of the year on Thiel's score while
Anthony Werth registered his first assist at Slippery Rock by setting up Augustin's goal.
Augustin's two shots on goal were a team-best. Thiel, Pcholinsky,
Devin Hoffman,
George Oakley and
Sean Hobbins all produced shots on goal as well Saturday.
Goalkeeper
Jonathan Sharp stopped four WJU shots in 90 minutes to earn the win.
For the game, Slippery Rock held advantages over the Cardinals in total shots (14-10) and shots on goal (7-5). Both teams received two corner kicks.
Thiel gave The Rock an early lead with a goal just 142 seconds into the contest when he took a crossing pass from Pcholinsky and fired a shot by Wheeling Jesuit goalie Tyler Shotwell.
Slippery Rock maintained its one-goal advantage over the next 35 minutes until Brent Pedlow evened the contest at 36:38 with a shot that got by Sharp. SRU posted two additional shots in the final nine minutes of the first half, a wide attempt by
Nick Sodini and a Hobbins shot that was stopped by Shotwell as the game went into the break tied at 1-1.
As it did in the first half, Slippery Rock wasted little time getting going in the second half as Augustin scored on a header from Werth in the 47th minute to give Slippery Rock a 2-1 edge it would never relinquish.
Slippery Rock sealed the game by successfully defending five Wheeling Jesuit shots and clearing two Cardinal corner kicks over the final 43 minutes of play en route to the triumph.
At halftime of Saturday's game the 2016 SRU Soccer Ring of Honor class of Greg Blum, John Eiller, Mick Lakatos, John Di Silvestro and Girish Thikar were recognized for their recent introductions into the prestigious group.
SRU will look for a second consecutive win when it hosts Salem International in non-conference play 4 p.m. Tuesday at James Egli Field.
