Box Score

The Malone University men's soccer team posted a 2-0 win in its home opener against Bethany (WV) College on Wednesday afternoon. Forward Sam Erchick put the Pioneers on top just over four minutes into the contest after heading in a well-placed corner kick from midfielder Kelvin Aquino. The score then remained unchanged until the 85th minute when Aquino put the match away, blasting a powerful shot past the Bison keeper. Malone improved to 1-2-0 with the shutout victory while Bethany, a member of NCAA Division III, dropped to 1-3-0.

The Bison were forced to play a man down for a majority of the second half after receiving a red card in the 57th minute. A penalty kick was awarded to each team during the second stanza as fouls occurred in the penalty boxes less than five minutes apart. However, Bethany keeper Patrick Coleman and Pioneer keeper Felipe Monteiro both came up with big saves to keep the score 1-0 at that point in the match. Malone held a narrow 9-8 advantage in total shots on goal as Monteiro stopped all eight shots he faced to record his first career shutout.

The Pioneers will return to action on Saturday afternoon at home with a 3:00 p.m. match against the College of Wooster (3-0-0).