McDaniel Men’s Soccer has started strong, going 2-2 in its first four contests of the season.
McDaniel opened the season at home, losing a heart-breaker to Wesley 2-1 in overtime on September 1.
After falling behind 1-0, first-year Randall Hilleary leveled the game off a corner kick delivered by Junior Raul Escobar for Hilleary’s first career goal with the Green Terror.
Wesley got on the board in the 16th minute with a perfectly placed shot from striker Avery Brice from outside the 18-yard box.
The Green Terror offense broke through in the 73rd minute with the combination from Escobar to Hilleary.
McDaniel had a great opportunity to take a lead in the 77th minute after a foul in the box was called against the Wolverines. Sophomore Pablo Bendana stepped up for a penalty kick and fired left but Wesley goalie Kyle Springsteen made a diving save to keep the game knotted at 1-1.
Tied at 1-1, both teams battled to draw by the end of regulation, forcing the game into overtime. Wesley’s Christopher McPoyle struck just 2:18 into overtime, giving the Wolverines the season opening victory.
“We came out sloppy, but as our freshmen started to organize and find form, we were able to put together some nice game flow,” said Head Coach Steve Corrieri after the loss. “While it was not the result I was hoping, I saw some good things out there for the rest of the season.”
McDaniel would rebound quickly from the loss, playing on the road at Gallaudet on September 2.
McDaniel controlled the game in the first half, taking 15 shots on the Bison, but none of them found the back of the net.
The Green Terror caught a break in the 64th minute when Gallaudet headed a cross into its own net to give McDaniel the lead.
The Green Terror’s offense finally broke through in the 76th minute when sophomore Greysen Brockbank found classmate Billy Rodgers on a cross. Rodgers buried the shot in the right corner to give McDaniel a 2-0 win.
After a couple of days off, McDaniel returned home to face Albright on September 6.
McDaniel scored early and often, jumping out to the lead just two minutes into the game on Escobar’s first goal of the season.
Albright would tie the game just seconds later, when Nick Over was unable to control a shot from Josh Linsmeier.
McDaniel would respond in the 11th minute when sophomore Carlos Valdez rocked a shot from outside the 18-yard box to give the Green Terror a 2-1 advantage.
The Green Terror made some critical halftime adjustments and took control of the game early in the second half. In the 54th minute, Escobar took a corner kick, which found the head of junior Kerry Shutt for a goal.
In the 62nd minute, junior Michael Thompson found Valdez on a through ball for his second goal of the contest, giving McDaniel a 4-1 advantage.
Finally, the Green Terror took on Eastern Mennonite on September 10, losing by a score of 2-0.
McDaniel outshot the Royals 12-10 and were able to draw 17 fouls, but they could not recover from the Royals early goal.
McDaniel returns to the pitch Saturday at Muhlenberg for their Centennial Conference opener. They return home on September 21st to take on Goucher at 4:00 PM.
