EMMITSBURG, Md. (September 22, 2021) – The rainy conditions at Waldron Family Stadium did not dampen the resolve of the Mount St. Mary's men's soccer defensive line. Fending off 21 shots, the team recorded their first shutout of the season with a 1-0 victory over the George Washington Colonials.
Although the final stats show that three of the Colonials' 21 shots were on goal, the Mount defense stood in the way of several possible goals. Nine attempts were blocked and never made their destination. Goalkeeper
Ethan Russell stopped the three shots officially tabbed as on target, earning rejections in the 35
th, 49
th and 77
th minutes. The victory is Russell's first credited triumph as a collegiate player.
Mount's offense took advantage of their limited opportunities as all three shots for them in the match were on target. Freshman
Cavan Fernandes got the first chance, forcing a save from the George Washington keeper in the second minute. The breakthrough came in the 59
th minute when
Juan Molina found
Alek Wroblewski splitting the Colonials defense. The sophomore drew out the keeper and curled in a goal that landed in the bottom left corner.
Wroblewski's third goal of the season received an immediate challenge from the visitors, who ratcheted up the tempo with several shots. After the Mountaineers got another on target attempt from Wroblewski, George Washington fired nine shots at the net over the final 20 minutes. One shot was saved, four were blocked and four were off target.
As the game grew in intensity, so did the aggressive play. A total of 27 fouls – 15 for the Mount and 12 for GW – were administered. But in the final minute, a clash in the box led to an argument for a penalty to the Colonials, but the referee allowed play to continue. No more shots came across and the shutout remained intact.
The result is the first clean sheet for the Mount since a scoreless tie last March with Bryant and the first shutout victory since November 2019 against Long Island.
Northeast Conference play kicks off Sunday when Mount St. Mary's travels to Rhode Island to face Bryant. Kickoff is 1 p.m. from Smithfield.
