The Slippery Rock University men’s soccer team defeated the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown Wednesday 4-0.
SRU’s junior goalkeeper Chris Zier had to block just one shot on the day.
“Chris is a great goalkeeper and has done great job in the last two games,” SRU head coach Michael Bonelli said. “He comes out of the box and cuts off crosses.”
With this win, the Rock has now won three games in a row and the first conference game of the season.
SRU now has a record of 6-1-1, while Pitt-Johnstown is 2-7 overall and 0-4 in conference play.
The Green and White’s defense was locked in on Wednesday, allowing only five shots and only one shot on goal.
The Rock won the shooting battle 29-5, with 10-1 shots on goal, and 8-1 in corner kicks.
The first goal came from senior midfielder Zach Hall, which puts him at three goals on the season. Senior defender Josh Gray assisted on the goal with a corner kick.
Junior forward Stephen Donnelly was the second player to score, scoring in the 16th minute of the game. The assist was awarded to Hall on a cross kick.
In the 26th minute, senior forward Michael Ramirez scored, putting him at four goals on the season.
Sophomore defender Stephen McConahy scored in the 36th minute of the game, which was his second goal of the season. The assist was from sophomore midfielder Ryan Lutke.
“The guys like passing and sharing the ball; they’re very unselfish,” Bonelli said. “We preach a team-mentality and the guys embrace it.”
Donnelly echoes his coach’s comments on teamwork.
“We are not relying on just one person to score, as a lot of people have found the back of the net this year,” Donnelly said. “And in goal, Joe (Agerskow) and Chris (Zier) are pushing each other really hard and it’s showing on the field.”
On Sunday, Sept. 29, the Rock beat the University of Charleston 3-0 in non-conference play.
Junior forward Dom Francis, junior midfielder Josh Brake, and Ramirez each had a goal in the game. Gray had one assist, and Zier earned his first shutout of the season.
Charleston won the advantage with 9-6 in total shots and 12-3 in corner kicks, but could not make any shots count.
The Rock will host California University of Pennsylvania on Monday night at 7 p.m. at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
“Slippery Rock vs. Cal. U. is a huge and intense rivalry,” Bonelli said.
Cal. U. currently holds a 3-4-1 overall record with a 1-3-1 record on the road. They defeated Slippery Rock 3-1 last season.
