Men’s Soccer Looks to Rebound After Tough Week

FSU men’s soccer had an action-packed week as they traveled to take on three MEC rivals.

They opened their play on Sunday, Sept. 29^that Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio. The Falcons were able to find the back of the net two times in the first half, giving them a 2-0 at half time. The Bobcats were outshot in the first half 10-2, forcing sophomore goalkeeper Joel Assal to make five saves. Frostburg fought their way through the second half, scoring a goal and outshooting their opponents 5-4. The goal was scored in the 64^thminute by junior Randy Putnam off a pass from sophomore Jose Rodriguez. Rodriguez dribbled from the left side of the field and played a ball in front of the goal where Putnam was able to connect with it and narrowed the score to 2-1. The Bobcats finished the match with 7 shots, 3 shots on goal, and Assal with 6 saves.

Frostburg then traveled to play No. 20 ranked Charleston on Thursday, Oct. 3^rd. Charleston scored 3 goals and outshot Frostburg 15-2. The Bobcats were able to hold off the Golden Eagles until late in the first half. The first goal was scored in the 43^rd minute by Jesus Cabanas off a pass from Ploutarchis Alonefti. Charleston continued their attack with Adam Burchell scoring an unassisted goal in the 52^ndminute and again in the 56^thminute off a pass from Cabanas. First-year player Addison Keja took Frostburg’s first shot in the 57^thminute, which bounced off a defender. Shortly after, Keja attempted another shot that was headed towards the top right corner until it was saved by the Charleston keeper. Assal made seven saves during the match, which is a season-best for the sophomore. He made three saves in a four-minute span in the first half, and then made four saves over a 12-minute span in the second half.

The Bobcats concluded their week with an away game at Davis & Elkins on Saturday, Oct. 5^th. The first half saw the Senators outshoot the Bobcats 11-2. Frostburg shots came from  Keja in the 5^thminute and first-year Gage Adam in the 36^thminute, but the score remained 0-0 into halftime. Keja and sophomore Cameron Coates both added a shot in the second half, but the Bobcats remained scoreless. The lone goal came late in the game at the 86^thminute after a cross was played from the right side of the box, putting D&E up 1-0. Assal made six saves during the night and faced 15 shots.

Frostburg, 3-4-1 in the MEC, play their next game on Wednesday, Oct. 9^that 7 p.m. at home against West Virginia Wesleyan.