ERIE, Pa. - Gannon scored a goal during each half and
Matthew Dixon (Durban, South Africa/Westville Boys) recorded his first career shutout as the Golden Knights earned a 2-0 victory against Bloomsburg Wednesday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) men's soccer action at Gannon University Field.
Robbie Bennett (Pinetown, South Africa/St. Benedict School) tallied the only score of the first half, finishing a series of passes from
Alex Perri (Valencia, Pa./Mars) and
Sean Pike (Liverpool, England/Range) 15:59 into the contest. Perri began the rush with a nice pass over the defense to Pike, who crossed another pass over to Bennett for the goal. In the process, Bennett became the 14th student-athlete in school history to score 30 career goals and 17th to reach the 70-point plateau.
The score remained that way for more than 64 minutes until Gannon iced the victory. Bennett hit the left post with a header, before
Niko Popovich (Columbus, Ohio/Dublin Scioto) drilled the rebound into the net for a 2-0 lead.
Bloomsburg's best scoring chance arguably came in the 57th minute. Down 1-0, Nate Conrad ripped a shot from 30 yards out from the left side. The ball got over Dixon's outstretched arms and rattled off the crossbar near the right post.
Wednesday's match was even in almost every facet. Gannon held a 15-14 edge in shots while Bloomsburg produced a 7-6 advantage in corner kicks. Dixon recorded five saves during his second career start, finishing the contest with his first career shutout. Bernie Roell turned away four scoring opportunities in net for the Huskies.
Gannon improved to 3-6 overall and 2-3 in PSAC action while snapping a three-match losing streak. All three contests were decided by one goal, including the last two in double overtime. Bloomsburg dropped to 3-5-1 overall and 1-2-1 in conference play with its third consecutive loss. The Golden Knights return to action Saturday, October 5 at Lock Haven. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m.
