ELKINS, W. Va. – The Frostburg State men's soccer team fell to No. 9 Davis & Elkins on the road Sunday afternoon by a final of 3-0.
FSU started the game looking to play on the counter, with the Senators controlling possession but not able to get through the defense. The strategy nearly paid off eight minutes in, as sophomore David Williams got in behind and sent a well-taken volley towards goal, forcing D&E keeper Charlie Philips to make a diving stop to tip the shot over the crossbar. Momentum then swung to Davis & Elkins, who hit three shots over the next 10 minutes, starting with a header on a corner came off the crossbar and the would-be goal that was tapped in as a result whistled for offside. The next effort took a deflection to send it wide for a corner, where from that chance, Santiago Maiolo sent a volley just over the bar.
At the midway point of the half, Frostburg broke through down the right side, where graduates Kevin Garcia-Torres and Mateo Cuadros combined in midfield for the latter to play the ball through to sophomore Inzaghi Harmon, who shot straight at Philips. Seven minutes later, the Senators ramped up their pressure again, with Emerson making a claim on a cross into the box, then with another driven ball, he palmed it away but the rebound fell right to Francisco Lopez Kreik for a tap-in goal. Neither side managed a chance in the final 15 minutes, sending the game at 1-0 into halftime.
Davis & Elkins largely kept FSU's attack at bay to start the second period, while Emerson was called into action after five minutes for a save. It took another 15 minutes for the next shot to come, as Souleymane Baal tried to catch Emerson out with a 50-yard shot that he was able to palm away. The Senators sent two more shots off target before Baal tried his luck again, this time hitting it perfectly over Emerson's head and into the back of the net to double the lead.
Frostburg managed to get their first shot of the half off freshman Lynghton Romage heading a free kick just wide. As the Bobcats pushed higher up the field, space was created in the back, as Jordi Rafus Aulet was able to exploit it on an overlapping run, getting into the box and firing into the upper right corner from a narrow angle. Emerson prevented a fourth Senator goal with a fantastic double save at close range late on, with the final being 3-0 in favor of the hosts.
The Bobcats were outshot 16-4 during the match, as Emerson finished with eight saves.
With the loss, FSU falls to 7-3-6 overall while Davis & Elkins improves to 11-1-2. The Bobcats' regular-season finale will be at home against fourth-ranked Charleston on Wednesday, October 28 at 7 p.m. For more information, please visit frostburgsports.com.
