WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Gettysburg College men's soccer team turned in a strong second half performance to blank Catholic University in the season opener.
Final Result
Gettysburg (1-0) 3, Catholic (0-1) 0
Top Performers
Oladayo Thomas '22 (Lagos, Nigeria/The Masters [N.Y.]) - One goal and an assist
Julian Burden '23 (New York, N.Y./Riverdale Country) - One goal
Ezekiel Omosanya '20 – (Lagos, Nigeria/Northfield Mount Hermon [Mass.]) - One assist
Jack Carroll '22 (Leonia, N.J./Bergen Catholic) - One goal
Pape Diallo '23 – (Jamaica, N.Y./Proctor Academy) - One assist
How it Happened
First Half: Gettysburg was first to take a shot at the goal four minutes into the game, but it was halted by Catholic's goalkeeper Jack Long. Long then went on to stop two more attempts by the Bullets, leaving the score at a 0-0 draw at intermission. Neither team took many swings at the cage with Catholic holding the slight 5-4 advantage over Gettysburg.
Second Half: The Orange and Blue warmed up offensively as the reigning Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year Thomas struck the back of the net 14 minutes in as Diallo was credited with the assist. Three minutes later, Omosanya fed a pass to Burden who took the one on one finish to the net to tally his first career. The Bullets kept play down Catholic's way as the team took two corner kicks and three shots in the final eight minutes with the last one going in. Thomas hit Carroll with a long pass from the left wing that went into the middle of the box to seal the victory against the Cardinals' who were selected first in the 2019 Landmark Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll and finished last season ranked No. 10 in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
All-Time Series
In a series that dates back to 1987, the Cardinals have taken the last two wins, but with the victory today, the Bullets now hold a 7-2 record. The last time the Orange and Blue defeated the Cardinal was back in 1988 by the final score of 6-1.
Classic Start
For the last three seasons, the Bullets have won their opening game.
Up Next
The Bullets will return to action again on Saturday against The College of New Jersey at 2 p.m. down in Washington, D.C.