Game 8: Eastern @ Desales

CENTER VALLEY, Pa.- The best opportunities in soccer games between evenly matched teams often come off dead-ball situations. As is the case in NASCAR, the team that wins the restart battle has a big advantage in winning the day's contest. This afternoon's Freedom Conference tussle at DeSales featured a pair of well organized defenses. The host Bulldogs (7-2-2 1-0 Freedom) )scored twice on restarts to earn the 2-1 win.

With the goal boxes at both ends of the field pretty chewed up from a wet week of games, every serve into the area in front of the goal would be a challenge for the goalkeepers. Eastern earned the first corner kick of the afternoon, but the hosts were able to get into wide positions and force four corners  over the next 15 minutes.  The prodigious throw-ins of DeSales' center back Tyler Nolan put the Eastern back line under more pressure.

A series of fighting off long tosses put the Eastern back row under pressure. The Bulldogs were able to crack into the scoring column on yet another long toss in the 26th minute. DeSales midfielder Brandon Moninghoff was able to deflect a Nolan throw from 35 yards out over Eastern goalkeeper Kyle Nichols. 

Brandon Beaumont's strike in the run of play six minutes before half gave the Eagles a chance to equalize, but the shot tailed just left of the goal. DeSales had an 8-6 edge in shots and a 6-1 edge in corners in the first half.

The seventh DeSales corner of the afternoon proved to be unlucky for the Eagles. Nolan, up from his central defender position, doubled the Bulldog lead in the 61st minute.

The Eagles applied pressure in response. After a flurry of shots and activity in front of the DeSales goal, they cut the deficit in half in the 71st minute on a Jair Saenz free kick goal following a Nolan foul in the 71st minute.

The Eagles (5-2-1, 0-1 Freedom) return to action at Penn State-Brandywine on Wednesday before returning to league action at home against Maanhattanville next Saturday afternoon.