SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's soccer team scored five times in the first 21 minutes of play Sunday en route to its most goals in a match under head coach Jeremy Spering, as the Raiders defeated Shepherd 7-0 on a sunny and warm afternoon from David See Field.
 
Shippensburg (1-1) applied a steady diet of offensive pressure from the outset and took advantage of an own goal in the fourth minute of play to tilt the momentum of the match in its favor.  
 
Senior Joey Gallucci had two goals and an assist; senior Cole Kropnick scored twice, and both freshman Alex Petty and senior Patrick Luebben added tallies in the lopsided victory. Sophomore JJ Saukko was credited with an assist.
 
Gallucci scored the match's second goal in the eighth minute with a nifty move around on a defender on the far side, ripping a shot in the lower left portion of the net inside the post. Less than four minutes later, Gallucci lofted a perfect cross onto Kropnick, who headed home his second goal of the year.
 
Petty's tally came at 17:27; the freshman took a feed from junior Colin Marks and maneuvered through traffic on the far side to slam home his first collegiate tally. Kropnick's second of the match and third of the year came just three minutes after Petty's marker after a touch-touch passing play with Gallucci and Saukko. It gave SU a 5-0 lead it would take into the intermission.
 
Luebben's tally came at 50:18; he cleaned up a scrum in the cage after an initial entry by Patrick Joyner by finding a loose ball in the back of the box and depositing it home. Not even two minutes later, Gallucci took a cross-field pass from Saukko and dribbled around a defender and into open space to rip a volley into the upper ninety that produced the match's final 7-0 margin.
 
Redshirt-junior Garret Watson made a save in 34 minutes of action before having to leave due to an injury late in the first half. Redshirt-freshman Bradley Brickman entered in relief and was credited with two saves in his 56 minutes of action.
 
Shepherd (0-1) got six saves from Jose Machado Orellano – including one on a penalty kick and another on a point-blank shot from the crease. The Rams had three shots on goal and three corners in the match.
 
Shippensburg's seven goals are its most in a match since a 7-0 shutout of Kutztown on Oct. 1, 2007.
 
Sunday's matchup marked the final non-conference meeting between the two teams, as Shepherd is set to join the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) next season.

UP NEXT: Wednesday, 7 p.m. at Nyack.