Men’s Soccer
The first Pacers team to begin play was the Men’s Soccer team, as the Wilkes University Colonels traveled to Scranton. The Colonels were on the offensive early, earning three corner kicks in the opening two minutes, but were unsuccessful in scoring. The next 10-plus minutes were very chippy, with Wilkes committing five fouls, while Pacers midfielder Jack Forbes received a yellow card. Nearing the 20th minute, the Pacers were on the attack but were denied by sophomore goalie Matthew Conti. Again, the Colonels earned a trio of corner kicks but the stalemate remained. Junior midfielder Will Wagstaff ripped a screamer from outside the box but Pacers keeper Niko Leibkuchler saved the shot. Conti thwarted another Pacers attack as the halftime break drew near. The Pacers committed a foul about 35 yards out and the Colonels capitalized, as Herbert Ramirez scored the set piece goal to break up the shutout.
Following the halftime break, Ramirez didn’t waste much time, looking for his second goal but missed high of the net. After a hard foul from Rodolfo Vargas, a shoving match ensued, resulting in yellow cards for four players, two for both the Pacers and Colonels. The Pacers rattled a flurry of shots but couldn’t find the net. The Colonels quickly countered a late game attack from Marywood, as Elijah Emedoh-Kaba streaked down the field and snuck a shot past Leibkuchler, putting the game out of reach, as the Pacers fell 2-0.
Women’s Soccer
For coverage of the Pacers’ season opener, click here.
Field Hockey
As it did last season, the season began at Vassar College, where the Brewers played host to the Pacers. Neither offense could get going early, with the Brewers missing wide of the mark twice. Marywood only needed one shot to open the scoring, as captain Cydney Lahr netted the first Pacer goal of the season. Despite opening the scoring in the first period, the Pacers’ offense went silent though the defense held strong, going into halftime up 1-0.
Vassar opened the third period aggressively, ripping a trilogy of shots, missing the mark, before Tori Baker knotted the match. The Pacers earned a pair of penalty corners but the game remained tied, as the third period concluded. Vassar started the fourth with the first shot, before Marywood had multiple shots rejected, leading to a counterattack goal from Sydney Koval, breaking the deadlock. Marywood’s offense was unable to produce another shot in the fourth period, falling to the Brewers 2-1.
Still searching for win No. 1, Marywood was on the road again, this time at Montclair State University. The first period was all Montclair State, as three Red Hawks found the back of the net, while holding Marywood to no shots. The Pacers were able to get their first shot off, but that was the only offense Marywood had, as the score remained 3-0 going into halftime.
The first two minutes of the third quarter proved crucial, as the Pacers offense finally began clicking, with two shots being fired and Dariane Jones’ finding the nylon. The momentum swung right back to the Red Hawks, as Bella Heiser re-extended the lead to 3. Both offenses took turns having offensive runs for most of the fourth period. The Pacers earned a penalty corner and capitalized, when Maria Tomada scored the Pacers’ second goal of the afternoon. Merely 30 seconds later Marywood earned another corner. The Pacers scored a meaningless goal as time expired, remaining winless on the young season, 4-3.
Volleyball
The Volleyball team opened its 2024 campaign hosting a tri-match against Cedar Crest College and Delaware Valley University. Cedar Crest dominated the first set, starting on a 9-0 run, before Marywood was able to close the gap to 12-6. After a little tit-for-tat action, the Falcons took control, winning the first set 25-13. The Pacers earned the first point of the second set, but that would be the only Marywood lead of the second set, as the Falcons won 25-12. Set three opened similarly to the others, with Cedar Crest dominating. Marywood was able to whittle the deficit to three, but that’s the tightest the game would be, as the Falcons would sweep the Pacers clean with a 25-14 third set victory.
After a short break, Marywood looked to split the day against the Aggies. After a quick back and forth had the set tied at two, Marywood went on an eight-point run. The Aggies cut the Pacer lead to five, but the Pacers held strong, taking set one 25-17. The second set was tight, with neither squad able to extend a lead past two points. Marywood was able to grab a late lead and hold on to the 25-23 win. Delaware Valley took the early lead in the third set and never let go, avoiding the clean sweep 25-20. The Aggies started the fourth set on a 7-0 run. Despite the Pacers getting on the board and going on a six-point streak late in the set, the Aggies knotted the match with a 25-13 win. Marywood started the scoring but Delaware Valley took over, leading 7-3. Marywood was able to overcome the deficit and win the final set 15-10 and split the day.
All stats are from MarywoodPacers.com as of September 1, 2024.
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