Rock men’s soccer took on Daemen College on Saturday in their final out of conference game played at home. Coming into the game The Rock held a record of 1-0-2(0-0) and was looking to earn their first home victory of the season. Daemen came in with a record of 1-1-0(0-0) and early on The Rock looked to put the game away.
This was Slippery Rock’s fourth contest of the year. Till this point, it has been evident that the team didn’t play last fall or spring, unlike some of the teams they’ve faced in the opening stages of the season. This game will be one that can give the Rock some confidence though.
The first and only score of the game from Mo Kanani in the sixth minute off of an assist from Brian McCarthy. However, The Rock took 13 shots in the first 45 minutes of action and was able to hold Daemen to no shots in the first half.
The game was dominated by The Rock on the offensive side and the team only gave up six shots, all of them coming in the second half. Of those, four were on target and Rock goalkeeper Hossam Aly saved all four of them.
Another constant in the beginning part of the season has been the Green and White’s physical play. That physical play has led at least one yellow card in every game so far, including two this game. The first was given to Kanani in the 28th minute and the second was given to Ramses Minaya in the 90th minute.
The Rock now has only one out of conference game left this season and it’s this Wednesday against District of Columbia. The Firebirds have opened the season with an 0-4 record, with all of their losses coming against fellow PSAC west schools: Seton Hill University, Millersville University, Mercyhurst University, and Gannon University.
The Rock now sits at 2-0-2(0-0) after their win against Daemen, and now look to finish out their out of conference schedule with another win. After Wednesday, Slippery Rock will return home and get their first taste of PSAC action against Lock Haven University. It will be the first of 13 games in their PSAC schedule. First, The Rock needs to get through the Firebirds, and they’ll lean on their veterans to pull out one more win before conference play. The contest against District of Columbia starts at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
