EMMITSBURG, Md. (October 6, 2021) – Facing an uphill battle with the #18 team in the nation coming to Emmitsburg, coupled with injuries to some starters, Mount St. Mary's men's soccer saw several underclassmen take advantage of opportunities in an eventual 4-0 defeat to the James Madison Dukes.
Three freshmen get the starting nod to play forward for the first time this year.
Cavan Fernandes played the middle, flanked by
Marcus Lewis and
Jonathan Yowell. The trio have all seen significant time, but not all at once from the opening kickoff.
Of the 11 players in the lineup, six were freshmen and sophomores. This included
Torren Aikens, who made his first start as a Mountaineer.
While many of these players had positive moments in the match, the #18 Dukes overmatched the young Mountaineers from the start. Striker Luca Erhardt sent home his seventh and eighth goals of the season within the first 20 minutes. A shot by Clay Obara in the 25
th minute went off the hands of
Adam Siviter after a save, and a stroke of bad luck transpired for the Mount as the rebound trickled over the goal line to give James Madison a 3-0 lead.
Mount St. Mary's shored up their defensive lines, conceding one goal in the second half. The offense came close to scoring as well. After Dennis Mensah split the defense and scored what would be the final goal for the Dukes,
Markus Neilsen sent the kickoff towards goal, with the shot nicking the crossbar and spinning away from the goal line. Moments later,
Raul Luna got a fortunate bounce in the box, but his attempt dribbled inches off the near post.
The Mount drops to 2-9 on the season and returns to Northeast Conference play this Sunday (Oct. 10), traveling to Sacred Heart. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. in Fairfield.
