WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. (Oct. 17) – Junior
Matt Yingling (Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg) scored a pair of goals in the second half, as the Vulcans secured a 3-1 victory at West Liberty in non-conference action on Thursday night.
With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team improves to 3-4-3 overall behind a 2-0-2 mark over its last four matches. Meanwhile, West Liberty drops to 1-10-1 this season behind a 1-6 mark at home.
In the second half, Yingling tied the match at 1-1 on a shot right outside the 18-yard box into the top left-corner, his first goal of the season, with an assist by freshman
Jake Nebinski (Ardara, Pa./Norwin) in the 57th minute. Yingling would tally two more shot attempts before scoring his second goal of the contest from the left side of the box with an assist from freshman
Eli Mitchell (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) to give the Vulcans a 2-1 advantage at the 66:25-mark. Cal U would notch four more shots down the stretch of the second half with a pair saved by the West Liberty goalkeeper. Mitchell recorded an insurance goal in the 89th minute, his team-leading fourth of the season, on an assist from freshman
Chance Pursifull (Germantown, Ohio/Valley View) to seal the victory, 3-1.
The Vulcans registered the opening shot of the game in 11th minute before the Hilltoppers hit the post at the 14:19-mark, as the game remained scoreless. Cal U would continue to force the ball into the offensive half of the field and tallied a pair of shots in the span of two minutes. At the midway point of the first half, the Vulcans totaled three corner kicks and saw two shots sail wide of the net. West Liberty would respond with a header in the 38th minute before scoring over a minute later on a shot from 30 yards out by Bernardo Vilchis to take a 1-0 lead at the 39:58-mark. Cal U went into the break trailing by a 1-0 margin after recording a pair of corner kicks in the final two-plus minutes of the first half.
Senior goalkeeper
Joseph Valeriano (Southampton, N.J./Seneca) registered seven saves, including five stops in the second half, on 14 shots faced in 90 minutes of play.
Cal U held a narrow 15-14 shot advantage, including a total of 10 shots in the second half. The Vulcans also finished with a 6-3 edge in corner kicks in the win.
Cal U is idle for over a week before hosting No. 10 Gannon on Oct. 26 for Alumni Day at Phillipsburg Soccer Facility, starting at 1 p.m.
