Box Score YORK, Pa. – A relentless offensive-minded attack led the York College men's soccer team to its first CAC win of the season with a convincing 3-0 victory over Marymount (Va.) on Fall Fest Weekend on the campus of York College of Pa.
Six different Spartans recorded a point in the contest as York (4-3-4, 1-0-1 CAC) compiled its highest shot total of the season with 25 (11 on target), while holding Marymount (2-9, 0-2) to just five total shots. The Saints were held to just one shot on goal and that shot came in the 86th minute of play.
Despite a stifling 12-shot performance in the first half, the Green and White was unable to notch a tally. York's best first-half chance came in the 25th minute when Brendan Saberton (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) sent a cross in from the left side to freshman Ryan Phelps (North Beach, Md./Northern) who had an open look on net, but sent his shot trickling wide to the left after being challenged by the Marymount keeper.
The Spartan offense wasted very little time getting on the board in the second stanza as they recorded the game's first tally 49 seconds into the half.
Patrick Ward (Prince George, Va./Prince George) sent a low line drive cross into the box from the right side that curved around the on-coming offensive rush and virtually out of nowhere found the head of senior captain Justin Kaiser (Bradenburg, Ky./Menchville (Va.)) who finished on the backside left post.
In the 53rd minute, Ward sent another crisp serve through traffic to find the waiting boot of Greg Bechard (Newark, Del./St. Mark's) who just missed on his connection as he sent the shot high.
Bechard redeemed himself in the 60th minute as he sent a beautiful strike off his left foot into the upper right corner of the goal. It was Ward who once again fed Bechard with service.
Ward turned in arguably the best performance of the contest as he out-worked his opposition and displayed stellar touch, crossing several services into the box that always seemed to find a head or a foot of a waiting teammate.
With a 2-0 lead, the Spartans remained hungry for more. Between the 65th and 66th minutes, York had three high quality chances at recording its third tally. Bechard sent a beautiful side volley off his right boot that made Saint goalkeeper Logan Cropper sprawl out to a full extension to make the save. The Spartans then missed on back-to-back header attempts, the first by Phelps which was saved by Cropper and the second was by senior Christopher Gillespie (Chapel Hill, N.C./Chapel Hill) who's close-range header sailed just over the top of the crossbar.
York's suffocating pressure would eventually pay dividends for a third time. In the 69th minute freshman Benjamin Jacks (Germantown, Md./Northwest) carried the ball into the left corner and served a pass into the box where Gillespie one-touched it back towards the middle where freshman Brett LaBonte (Frederick, Md./Urbana) one-timed it into the back of the net for York's third tally of the game.
In addition to the 25-5 advantage in shots, York also produced a margin of 9-1 in corner kicks.
After picking up a much-needed CAC victory, the Spartans will look to keep the momentum rolling as they face conference foe PSU-Harrisburg at Graham Field on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m.
Greg Bechard photo courtesy of Joe Rodgers
