Box Score
LANGHORNE, PA - On an afternoon like Saturday's, you take what you can get.
Despite no PBU player (technically) recording a single goal throughout 90 minutes of play, the Crimson Eagles somehow managed to walk away with a narrow 1-0 triumph over Gwynedd-Mercy College Saturday afternoon.
Impossible, right?
Nope, at least not when the opponent does your work for you. The Griffins' own goal - which, for statistical purposes, was credited to sophomore defender Mike Zimmerman, his first of the year - seven minutes into the opening period was the only score of the day for either team as PBU escaped with their second conference victory of the season with the win.
Despite the somewhat sub-par offensive performance for a squad ranked a respectable fourth overall in the conference in scoring, PBU’s back line – which sophomore keeper Andy Ecker anchors (who’s currently ranked 40th nationally in NCAA III in terms of save percentage, nonetheless) – once again played tremendous, producing their third shutout victory of the season.
The Crimson Eagle defensive unit withstood 19 Gwynedd-Mercy bullets, including 12 in the second half alone, to help preserve the host squad’s first win in Langhorne on the year. PBU had come up empty in their first three attempts after going 11-1 in the friendly confines last season.
But it was the pressure up top from Zimmerman along with senior Jonathan Waszaj that ended up being the major game changer early on. The tandem, exerting high pressure on the Griffins’ defense, managed to force the visitors into a state of confusion, ultimately leading to the self-destructive “own goal” and eventual game winner just 7:26 in.
The triumph helps keep the Crimson Eagles in the early running atop the CSAC standings at 2-1 in conference play as a loss would have thrown a major hurdle in PBU’s path. The team sits at 4-6 overall on the season while Gwynedd-Mercy slips to 1-8-1 (0-1 CSAC).
PBU will return to action by hosting Fairleigh Dickinson University in nonconference action on Wednesday at 4:00 pm.
