Men's Soccer Drops Home Opener

The Hens lost to Lehigh tonight 5-1 in their first game in Delaware after playing the first four on the road. The loss now drops them to an 1-4 record. Sophomore midfielder Kyle Ellis scored the Hens' lone goal of the game. The Hens kept it close until the second half when the team seemed to tire out.

The squad started the game with four at the back, a diamond midfield, and two forwards up top. Lehigh did a good job of staying compact in the middle of the field to deny the attacking midfielder (Jon Scheer) the ball and also kept up high pressure on the Hens' backs which forced a lot of hopeless long balls. Lehigh's first goal was the result of some slick passing which forced a one-on-one situation with keeper Conrad Rusnak which Lehigh forward Austin Decker finished with ease. The Hens almost equalized off a corner kick but it was cleared off the line by the back post. Minutes later Lehigh midfielder Adam Gazda was able to convert a header off a corner kick due to some poor marking in the area.

Towards the end of the first half Delaware seemed to do a better job of keeping possession and switching the field to avoid Lehigh's forwards and midfielders high pressure. Darren Christie began to drift out wide from his forward position and was able to get open to start a couple of attacks. Christie made a nice run down the middle around a couple of defenders and was able to find Ben Raymond off a deflection who tapped to Ellis for his goal to give the Hens hope just before halftime.

Delaware started the second half better than the first as they appeared more attacking and had more possession, until Rusnak had to stop a Lehigh counter-attack with a nice reaction save. Darren O'Conner had an open chance from distance soar over the bar and then after that the floodgates opened. Lehigh midfielder Steven Avena scored a wonder-goal from at least 30 yards outside catching Rusnak off his line after a corner and then Gazda scored his second several minutes later after a rebound on a diving save by Rusnak. The Hens still struggled to keep possession and a poorly cleared header led to the fifth and final goal for Lehigh by Joe Puleo.

The Hens had two more scoring opportunities the rest of the game. The first was after Ben Rodkey and substitute Demar Stephenson were able to combine down the right wing and find Scheer open in the area but his shot was deflected out for a corner. Ellis also had a chance for his second goal of the game but his shot from distance could not find the back of the net as time ran out.

The soccer team's next game is part of a double header this Friday at Delaware Mini-Stadium. The first game is at 5:00 as the Women's team takes on Delaware State. The Men will play afterwards at 7:30 against Rider. Check out the chicken scratch blog for a summary and analysis of both games.