Men's Soccer Senior Day
0
Pitt.-Johnstown PITT (2-8-1, 0-4-1)
5
Winner Gannon GANN (9-2-2, 3-0-2)
Pitt.-Johnstown PITT
(2-8-1, 0-4-1)
0
Final
5
Gannon GANN
(9-2-2, 3-0-2)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Pitt.-Johnstown PITT 0 0 0
Gannon GANN 3 2 5

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

No. 13 Golden Knights Celebrate Senior Day with 5-0 Shutout of UPJ

Gannon extends winning streak to five games

ERIE, Pa. – Gannon recognized nine seniors as part of Senior Day festivities but it was freshman Alander Soares (Caxias do Sul, Brazil/Escola Estadual de Ensino Medio Santa Catarina) who stole the show as the 13th-ranked Golden Knights shut out Pitt-Johnstown 5-0.
 
Head coach Billy Colton honored seniors Herman Aanberg (Hamar, Norway/Wang Toppidrett Oslo), RJ Benedict (Edinboro, Pa./General McLane), Bautista Corti (Manuel Alberti, Argentina/Adultos 2000), Gabriel Delin (Stockholm, Sweden/Solna Gymansium), Charlie Petersen (Erie, Pa./McDowell), James Pool (Hastings, England/Claverham), Mitchell Rathburn (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf), Brennan Schmitt (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) and Peter Wagner (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) prior to the match. The group has helped Gannon go 56-12-9 since 2021.
 
Benedict would get into the scoring act with his sixth goal of the season, but it was Soares who led another powerful offensive attack with two goals and an assist. Both goals came in the first half from difficult angles, the second even more so from almost on the baseline.
 
Gannon improved to 9-2-2 on the season and 3-0-2 in the PSAC West while UPJ fell to 3-8-1 and 0-4-1, respectively.  The Golden Knights pulled within a point of Lock Haven in the Western Division standings.
 
The Golden Knights have now won five straight matches, outscoring the opposition 24-1 during that stretch. It is also their third straight shutout and seventh of the season.
 
Gannon concludes the home portion of its regular season schedule on Wednesday, October 23 hosting Slippery Rock. The match gets underway at 6:00 p.m. at McConnell Family Stadium.
 
How it Happened:
  • Alander Soares (Caxias do Sul, Brazil/Escola Estadual de Ensino Medio Santa Catarina) gave Gannon a 2-0 lead with a pair of first-half goals. Both were unassisted and came from difficult angles on the left wing. The first came at 16:09 and the second at 37:37 of the first half. The latter was a cross that went off a UPJ player's head and found the freshman from Brazil on the left wing. As he neared the baseline he blasted a left-footed shot from a near impossible angle into the far right corner of the goal for his seventh goal of the season.
  • Gannon went into halftime holding a 3-0 lead as Shota Toyama (Kanagawa, Japan/Tama) scored his fifth goal of the season with 18 seconds remaining in the half. Bautista Corti (Manuel Alberti, Argentina/Adultos 2000), who pushed up all day from his defensive position, assisted on the goal.
  • The lead grew to 4-0 ten minutes into the second half as another freshman, Per Kristian Lauvstad (Nesoya, Norway/), scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season. Soares assisted on the goal, again coming down the left side and firing a crossing pass through a host of players to Lauvstad for the goal.
  • RJ Benedict (Edinboro, Pa./General McLane) celebrated Senior Day with his sixth goal of the season. He has scored five of those over the last five matches. The goal, assisted by Sverre Orten (Orsta, Norway/Aalesund vgs), concluded the scoring at 5-0 at the 79:44 mark.
By the Numbers:
  • Gannon held an incredible 41-1 advantage in shots. UPJ goalkeepers PJ Derksen and Jacob Tichnell made several spectacular saves to keep the score more respectable.  
  • The Golden Knights also held an 11-2 edge in corner kicks.
  • Alander Soares (Caxias do Sul, Brazil/Escola Estadual de Ensino Medio Santa Catarina) led Gannon with two goals and an assist.
  • Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Andre Moraes (Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil/Colegio Singular) finished with one save while registering his sixth shutout of the season. He lowered his GAA to 0.83.
  • Gannon remained undefeated against Pitt-Johnstown. The Golden Knights are 14-0-1 all-time against the Mountain Cats, with wins in the last five meetings. 
Next for the Golden Knights: Wednesday, October 23 vs. Slippery Rock, 6:00 p.m.
Gannon and Slippery Rock played three weeks ago with the two teams battling to a 1-1 tie. 
 
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