The Misericordia men's soccer team survived a late rally to defeat Lebanon Valley 4-3 in an exciting and hard-fought night game at Mangelsdorf Field.
Just two minutes into the second half, freshman
Nick Ferguson hit the crossbar on a free-kick and classmate
Andy Bush followed up the rebound for his team-leading fifth goal of the season.
Bush's strike gave Misericordia a 4-1 lead that seemed safe, especially as the Cougars continued to attack, with senior
Cody Harman also hitting the bar eight minutes later.
But Lebanon Valley reduced the Cougar advantage midway through the half off another free-kick, which was blocked by the MU wall but then finished into the corner on the rebound by an LVC player.
Lebanon Valley scored again with three minutes to play, making for a tense finish, but the Cougars were able to hold on to grab a second consecutive victory for the first time in 2009.
Lebanon Valley had taken the lead on their first shot of the game, finishing a breakaway past MU goalkeeper
Andrew Loyd in the eighth minute of play.
It was a tough blow for Misericordia, but less than four minutes later the Cougars were ahead. Freshman
Kevan Nagle turned the momentum just 43 seconds after the opening goal when he dispossessed a Lebanon Valley defender and hit a laser shot from outside the box, tying the game at 1-1.
Three minutes later, defender
Chris Hummel hit a long ball over the top. Bush chased it down, evaded a defender, and poked the ball past the LVC keeper. The Cougars later increased their lead to 3-1 on a breakaway from senior
Josh Yoo, his fourth goal of the year.
LVC thought they were fouled in the box just minutes before halftime, but a penalty kick was not awarded. A chippy and emotional game saw four yellow cards awarded for dissent, all in the second half.
For the third straight season, MU put four goals past a solid Lebanon Valley team thanks to opportunistic finishing. The Cougars were out-shot 20-12, but many LVC attempts were blocked by defenders. The best chances of the game came when Misericordia was attacking, until the Dutchmen made their late comeback.
MU improves to 4-3-2, and is now unbeaten in four straight games heading into conference play. On Saturday, the Cougars host Manhattanville on Homecoming weekend in their 2009 Freedom Conference opener.
Kevan Nagle Ties the Game at 1-1(9th Minute):
Andy Bush Gives MU a 4-1 Lead (47th Minute):
