Shippensburg University’s men’s soccer team lost its home opener to Slippery Rock on Saturday, 5-1 and dropped the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East opener on Wednesday at Millersville, 3-0. 

On Saturday, SU had a slow start to the game. Slippery Rock started with a strong offense and rewarded itself by scoring the first goal seven minutes into the game.

With about 20 minutes to go in the first half, the spectators saw some offensive action by the Raiders. While SU did not score, the Rock countered and scored the second goal just a few minutes later.

Slippery Rock had the chance to enter halftime with a 3-0 lead, but a shot in the last 10 minutes of the first half went just above the goal.

Shippensburg finished the first half with just one shot, while sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Krumenacker had already four saves.

The second half started like the first. Slippery Rock’s offense forced Shippensburg to focus on defending for the first minutes. After about 10 minutes, the Raiders freed themselves from the Rock’s pressure and was able to take shots on the goal three times in a span of five minutes.

However, it was again Slippery Rock that scored. After a headed assist by Colton Swanson, who was a great asset for the Rock on the left wing throughout the game, Aaron Finney found the back of the net with a volley shot.

Three minutes later, Swanson rewarded himself for his game with a goal, right before being substituted. 

SU scored its first goal 76 minutes into the game. Sophomore Luca Heusser passed the ball to freshman Kyle Ganley, who shot into the upper right corner for his first collegiate goal. 

Within the last minute, Slippery Rock scored another goal for the 5-1 final score. 

Slippery Rock outshot Shippensburg 24-7 and had a 13-to-3 difference in shots on goal. Krumenacker finished with eight saves.

On Wednesday, Shippensburg fell to defending PSAC champion Millersville in a road match, 3-0. 

The Marauders took the lead in the 29th minute of the first half and did not give it up for the rest of the game.

Shippensburg had its best opportunity to score just a few minutes after the Millersville goal, but senior Victor Vottero shot the ball at the crossbar from within the box. 

Shippensburg managed to keep the game at the one-goal difference until the 80th minute, when Millersville scored its second goal. In the 89th minute, the Marauders scored for the third and final time.

Vottero led the Raiders with four shots and Krumenacker recorded six saves against the defending PSAC champion.

Shippensburg will stay at home for both contests next week. On Wednesday, SU will take on West Chester at 6:30 p.m. and on Saturday, the Raiders will host Bloomsburg at 3:30 p.m. Both games will take place on David See Field.

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