Trojans blank Lincoln (Pa.) University

By Rob Craig
Published in Sports on October 7, 2007 3:27 AM

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MOUNT OLIVE -- During second-half play Saturday afternoon against Lincoln (Pa.) University, the Mount Olive's men's soccer team put balls everywhere, but where it counted -- in the back of the net.

However, the Trojans managed to protect their two first-half goals and claim a 2-1, non-conference win at Amon Field.

"You've got to finish," said Mount Olive fifth-year coach Jerry Riggs. "This was a great opportunity for our guys to build some confidence, but obviously we couldn't find the 8 by 24 frame. We had easy chances, but we couldn't tuck them away."

Facing a team making the transition from Division III to Division II, the Trojans (6-6-0 overall) expected an easy afternoon. They controlled the tempo and owned a 31-8 edge in shots on goal against the Lions, but couldn't convert.

"It's frustrating," said Riggs. "Sometimes frustration is hard to overcome."

The frustration almost boiled over midway through the first half. An incensed Riggs pulled his starters from the game.

The reserves eventually put MOC on the board.

Frank Stilley passed to Brad Carroll, who ran past the Lions' defenders and went one-on-one with the goalie. Carroll put a perfectly-placed shot into the back right corner to give Mount Olive a 1-0 advantage.

Chances were few and far between for the Lions as the Mount Olive defenders booted away what few chances they had. Adam Wells made countless first-half clears and tackles to keep Lincoln (2-7-0) off the board.

It wasn't until Peter Jarbo made a fantastic play that the Lions would convert.

A corner from Rashaan Lisimba went to Joseph Forde who crossed the ball to Jarbo. The midfielder trapped the ball with his chest, juggled it with his knee and kicked a strike into the upper-left corner to tie the game.

Unaffected by what had transpired, the Trojans struck right back 22 seconds later. Sean Keener booted a long pass to freshman Blake Galarza who made a diving header.

The ball landed in the net for a 2-1 Trojan lead.

"It was a great goal," said Riggs. "Blake had a great game for us. That's what we look for, players who are going to step up."

The second half was more frustration for the Trojans. With their starters back in the game and playing well, Mount Olive's midfielders created chance after chance only to be denied.

Lincoln goalie John Sheyi Oluwole made eight big second-half saves to keep the Lions alive.

On the other end, Ryan McCrickard wasn't tested often, but passed when he was. Jarbo made a bid for the tying goal on two occasions, but was denied each time by McCrickard.

"That's the difference in the game," said Riggs. "Those big-time saves kept us in the game."