The men’s soccer team dropped its last game of the regular season 2-0 to Empire 8 Conference opponent Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday.
Seniors Ryan Norland, Dan Shirley and Jack Shirley were honored prior to the game for Senior Day as they played on Carp Wood Field for potentially the last time of their careers.
The Ducks were able to score in the 34th minute on their third shot of the game. After a cross from the left flank, the ball ricocheted off the far post and Stevens freshman midfielder Joe Cellitti was there to place the ball into the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season.
Cellitti would strike once again in the 72nd minute, after he was fed a ball over the top by senior forward Zach Adler. Cellitti wasted no time, collecting the ball right outside the box and shooting to the lower left corner of the goal to close out the scoring.
Though the Bombers lost, sophomore midfielder Brandon Glass said he thought the team played well.
“We enforced what we did in practice this week,” Glass said. “We tried to maintain our defensive shape. Stevens is a possession-based team, so we tried to get behind the ball. We had some really good chances, but unfortunately we were unable to capitalize on them.”
Freshman goalkeeper Kenny Chapman said he also thought the team played well, but several mental letdowns helped Stevens score goals.
“Our only problems were a couple of mental lapses in the defense, but those are just mental breakdowns,” Chapman said. “No matter who your opponents are, those can’t happen.”
The score does not reflect how well the South Hill squad played, as they were able to hold the Ducks to no shots for the first 20 minutes. The Blue and Gold had several great opportunities to score — outshooting Stevens 9-6 — but were unable to finish.
Sophomore midfielder Casey Williamson said the Bombers were able to improve their play from the team’s 3–0 loss to Rochester Institute of Technology on Oct. 24.
“It’s a huge improvement,” Williamson said. “That’s what we want going into the E8 tournament next weekend against St. John Fisher. The result isn’t what we wanted, but we had our chances. We should have had a couple, but we just looked better.”
The South Hill squad ends the regular season with a 7–5–4 overall record and will spend the next week preparing for the postseason. The Bombers finished third in the Empire 8, while the Ducks completed their second-straight perfect season in the conference. The tournament field is now set with the Bombers traveling to play St. John Fisher College on Nov. 2 in Rochester, N.Y.
