The Shippensburg University men's soccer team battled to the final whistle in a setback to regional rival Shepherd in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division action Wednesday afternoon at the Shepherd Soccer Complex, 2-1.
Shippensburg (1-2-2, 1-2-0 PSAC East) responded to a pair of Shepherd (3-1-2, 1-1-1) goals near halftime with a late strike from
Zac Slevin, making for a frantic finish.
The game turned in the Rams' favor five minutes before the halftime break with a goal from forward Ebenezer Solomon.
The score immediately followed a strong sequence from the Raider attack that nearly provided the visitors with the initial lead. Forward
Anthony Weekley surged past his mark on the left-hand side and delivered a pinpoint left-footed cross to teammate
Cam Henry at the far post. Henry headed the ball back across goal into the path of
John Trigg arriving into the box.
Trigg ripped a shot that appeared to be ticketed toward the back of the net, only to be denied by a last-second block by Shepherd defender Ron Abarjel.
Shepherd followed with a quick counterattack that resulted in a corner kick. After Shippensburg failed to clear the initial ball, Solomon pounced for the opening score.
Shepherd's Josue Guzman tallied the host's second goal just four minutes after the halftime break.
Despite the deficit, the Raiders continued to push, leading to Slevin's goal with 12 minutes remaining.
Midfielder
Maddox Davies opened up the Ram defense with a ball over top to
Coy Rush. The chance seemed to have gone by the wayside when Slevin stopped an attempted clearance at the top of the box with an exquisite touch and venomous left-footed finish to bring the visitors back within striking distance.
The Raiders nearly tied the score a minute later, as
Kyle Ganley got to a Shippensburg free kick in the box but sent his redirection just wide of the net.
The Raiders finished with a 4-to-3 advantage in shots on goal.
Shippensburg is back in action Saturday when it hosts Slippery at 2 p.m. at David See Field.
