The White and Green have strung together their first winning streak of the year, and at the right time.
Going into their October 14 game against Seton Hill University, SRU men’s soccer held a 1-3 conference record. Finishing with that winning percentage would almost definitely not result in a playoff berth.
Their recent success has put them right back in command of the last spot.
The Rock’s pulled out a big win last Saturday when they took down Seton Hill 3-1. The Griffins sit at 2-3-1 in PSAC play, just behind SRU in the standings.
Seton Hill struck first, just over one minute into the game by way of a Julian Marker goal. Rock goalkeeper Adam Davies and the defense locked it down from there, only allowing one other shot on the goal.
It also didn’t take long to punch back. Midfielder Aitor Jorde tied it up with his goal just 24 seconds later.
The sophomore came to play in a big way in the matchup. Jorde tallied two goals and easily the most shots on goal of any athlete there, with four. The scores bring his total up to five on the season. He also currently holds third place in the PSAC in game-winning goals, with three.
Defender Will Harrigan added his first goal of the year for good measure to secure the final score of 3-1.
California University (Pa.) then came to town on Wednesday. Cal U is 1-5 in conference and at the bottom of the PSAC-West standings. The Rock jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, coming out on top 3-0.
Jorde continued his fantastic play with an early score. Midfielder Luke Gildea and forward Arturo Pla Hernandis accounted for the other scores. The former is up to eight on the year, good for fourth in the PSAC. He also has the second most shots on goal with 20.
Coming off of back-to-back wins, The Rock sits at third in the PSAC-West. Right where they need to be for the final playoff spot.
The Rock’s last PSAC playoff berth came in 2019 with a 5-5 conference record. The current squad is 3-3 in PSAC play. If they maintain their current level of play, they could be heading back to the tournament.
The White and Green’s next game will be at 12 p.m. this Saturday at Pitt-Johnstown, who sit at 1-4-1 in conference. The match up is an opportunity for SRU to have a conference record over .500 for the first time this season.
