Box Score

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Gannon men's soccer earned their fifth straight win to open the 2012 season with a dramatic 4-2 come-from-behind win over Bloomsburg Friday afternoon in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) match. 

The Golden Knights erased a 2-0 halftime deficit by scoring four second half goals against the Huskies. The scoring spree wasn't the first second-half surge for Gannon as the Golden Knights have now scored 14 of their 17 goals this season after the break. 

With Bloomsburg ranking seventh in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Atlantic region rankings, the Golden Knights now own wins over five of the teams appearing in the most recent poll. Gannon was ranked first in the region. 

Nothing seemed to be going Gannon's way in the early stages as the Huskies opened the match out-shooting Gannon 11-2  in the first 20 minutes. Bloomsburg took the early lead with just 5:26 off the clock on a goal from Miguel Diaz. 

The Gannon defense limited the Huskies to three shots the rest of the half, unfortunately, one of those shots found the back of the net to give Bloomsburg the 2-0 lead. The score came in the 43rd minute by Conrad Spencer. 

The Huskies out-shot Gannon 14-5 in the first 45 minutes, holding a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks. Goalie Jason Barbarino (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Plum Senior) stopped a total of seven shots while Bloomsburg's Bernie Roell needed to stop just two shots.

However, the stat sheet to a sharp turn in Gannon's favor during the second half. The Golden Knights came out of the break and took the first seven shots, finally connecting in the 60th minute on a goal from Adam Sharbaugh (Sarver, Pa. / Knoch). Off a pass from Sean Pike (Liverpool, England / Range), the senior's shot rattled off the post the left post and in. 

The match remained scoreless for the next 15 minutes, but the momentum remained on the Golden Knights' side, limiting the Huskies to just three shots during the span. Gannon evened the contest in the 75th minute after a flurry of shots. Sean Washek's (Fairview, Pa. / Cathedral Prep) shot at 74:33 was stopped by Roell, but Gannon quickly regained possession as Alex Perri (Valencia, Pa. / Mars) fired a shot less than a minute later. Roell again made the save, but the deflection found Tyler Hollingsworth (Johannesburg, South Africa / St. David's Marist Inanda) in front of the net and the senior buried the equalizer to tie the score at two. 

Not wasting the momentum, Gannon quickly took the lead in the 83rd minute. Robbie Bennett (Pinetown, South Africa / St. Benedict School), who had just re-entered the game, scored after heading in a crossing pass from Shane Hallett (Elizabeth, Pa. / Elizabeth Forward). Hollingsworth added the late insurance goal with less than a minute left to lock up the 4-2 win for the Golden Knights. 

Gannon moved to 2-0 in conference play, marking only the second time the Golden Knights have earned wins in the first two PSAC match-ups of the season. Gannon's best start in PSAC play came during the 2010 season, opening with three straight wins. Bloomsburg fell to 3-2 overall and 0-1 in the PSAC. Gannon will face East Stroudsburg (1-4, 0-1) Saturday at noon.