9/2/23

HAGERSTOWN, Md. -- Three goals in the first 20 minutes staked the Falcons to a lead they'd never lose, as Lackawanna men's soccer took a 4-2 road victory at Hagerstown CC on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Falcons (1-0-0) dominated possession with 20 shots and nine corner kicks, and it took just five minutes before Paul Ribera (First Year; Naples, FL) got the Falcons going on an assist from Ermir Hoti (First Year; Gjakova, Kosovo). Lackawanna doubled its lead when a handball on Hagerstown let Edilson Lopes (Sophomore; Taylor, PA) slot away a penalty in the 14^th minute to make it 2-0. Guillermo Ramírez (First Year; Valencia, Venezuela) scored the third Lackawanna goal just five minutes later on an assist from Tyler Pepsin (First Year; Old Forge, PA), giving the Falcons a three-goal lead after 20 minutes of play.
 
The Hawks settled in and got a pair of goals back just before the half, scoring in the 28^th minute on a free kick, then scoring a penalty in the 36^th minute after a foul in the box which made it 3-2 going into halftime. Lackawanna managed to stretch the lead back out when Hoti scored just three minutes into the second half off an assist from Lopes, staking Lackawanna to a 4-2 lead. From there, the Falcons hunted but couldn't come up with a fifth goal, but held Hagerstown scoreless the rest of the way to earn the victory.
 
The Falcons are next at Cayuga Community College in Auburn, NY on Tuesday, September 5^th, with kickoff at 6:00pm ET.