Box Score 10/3/24
 
CLARK, NJ – A late goal in the first half gave Union College the lead for good, and three goals in the final 15 minutes iced the game for the Owls, as Lackawanna College men's soccer fell 5-2 on the road in the Garden State on Thursday evening.
 
The Falcons (0-3-0) fell behind in the first 15 minutes of the contest but clawed themselves back level in the 33^rd minute. A foul on the upper edge of the box set the Falcons up for a set piece. An Ermir Hoti (Gjakova, Kosovo) free kick was lofted in from the right side right to the heart of the box. A waiting Nahuel Minis (Old Forge, PA) volleyed the cross with his right boot, smacking the ball into the right corner of the net and knotting the match at 1-1.
 
Union (4-6-2) would nick a goal back in the 43^rd minute of the half to retake a one-goal lead heading into the break, and things would settle into a back-and-forth match, with each team trying to probe and exploit the other's defense. Eventually, a Union break down the left in the 76^th minute led to a scramble in front of the Lackawanna net. As keeper Thomas Esgro (Moscow, PA) leapt to his right to try to defend the net, the ball was deflected back and to the center, where a waiting Owl pounced and lashed a shot into the bottom right for the 3-1 lead. Union added another goal in the 82^nd minute, when a lofted shot that looked like it might clear the net dropped just under the crossbar for the fourth goal of the evening.
 
Lackawanna did get a goal back in the 87^th minute when a foul on the right edge of the box drew another free kick. Hoti stepped up alongside Sebastian Carmona (Scranton,PA) and, after Carmona gave it a touch to roll it, Hoti curled a low right-footed strike into the bottom corner to make it 4-2. Union got that goal back a little over a minute later, catching the Falcons out of possession near midfield, then swiftly hitting a counterattack to make it 5-2 in the 89^th minute to round out the scoring and send Lackawanna to its third defeat on the year.
 
The Falcons will try to bounce back in their next match on Saturday, October 5^th, when Lackawanna is set to host Northampton CC at Schautz Stadium in Dunmore. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00pm ET, and the game is the second in a doubleheader at the field, with the women's team taking on Essex County College first at 12:00pm ET.