10/16/26
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Riding an unbeaten run that has stretched to four games, but still searching for a first win against PSAC East competition, Lackawanna College men's soccer is set to host Shepherd University on Saturday, October 17^th, at Schautz Stadium in Dunmore. Kickoff is set for 3:30pm ET, and the game is the second of a doubleheader, with the women's teams playing first at 1:00pm ET.
 
Game Details
Who: Shepherd University Rams (7-3-3) at Lackawanna College Falcons (1-7-5)
When: Saturday, October 17^th, 3:30pm ET
Where: Schautz Stadium; Dunmore, PA
 
Video | Live Stats | Tickets  
 
Video Coverage: Lackawanna College Athletics Network 
Fans who cannot attend in-person can watch live via the Lackawanna College Athletics Network, as well as the PSAC Sports Digital Network. 
 
Live stats: https://lackawannafalcons.com/sidearmstats/msoc 
Live stats coverage is available and will be updated as the game goes on. 
 
Tickets: https://lackawannafalcons.com/tickets 
Fans can purchase their game tickets in advance, or via cashless methods in person. There is no cash option for Lackawanna College Athletics tickets. 
 
This is the second match-up of the season between the Falcons and the Rams, with the first ending on a late goal from Shepherd at home back on September 19^th to snag a 1-0 victory over Lackawanna College. Shepherd out-shot the Falcons, 20-9, and had eleven second half shots, as the Rams went forward looking for the breakthrough. They'd get it on a headed ball off a set piece in the 84^th minute. Lackawanna nearly tied a few minutes later when a shot rattled the bar, but the Falcons ultimately fell. Read the full recap HERE.
 
 
The Falcons 
Lackawanna (1-7-5) enters the weekend with a bit of a bounce in its step, as the Falcons have gotten a win and three draws out of their last four matches. It started two weeks ago, when Lackawanna beat Pitt-Johnstown on October 3^rd, and the Falcons followed that up with draws against East Stroudsburg, Shippensburg, and Bloomsburg. The match with Bloom was the most recent, happening this past Wednesday at home, and ending in scoreless draw. The lack of official "goals" belies how many chances each team had, however, as each side had potential penalty shouts that went nowhere, and the Falcons had a runner clear on goal when an inadvertent whistle halted play. It was a well-played game, with both teams probing and searching for the breakthrough. You can read the full recap HERE.
   
On the season, the Falcons have given up 21 goals, a 1.62 goals per game average, while scoring five goals this season, including at least a goal in three of their last four games. Lackawanna has 113 shots, 52 on target (.460 SOG), while their opponents have posted 170 shots, 58 on target (.341 SOG). The Falcons have 37 corner kicks, while their opponents have 71 corners this year. Lackawanna has had to make 37 saves this season, while forcing 47 stops from the opposition. 
 
First-year forward Miguel Pereira (Revere, MA) has a pair of goals this season for the Falcons, first on the team, with 12 shots, four on target. Pereira scored a goal in the draw with King's College on September 2^nd, and he scored the game-winner against Pitt-Johnstown on October 3^rd. Pereira played 77 minutes against Bloomsburg on Wednesday and had a goal wiped off late because of offside. He had two shots in 64 minutes against Shepherd in the first match-up, with a shot clanging off the crossbar late.
 
Wisdom Afrani (Accra, Ghana) has one goal on 15 shots this season, while putting five shots on target for the year. Afrani scored his first goal of the season against East Stroudsburg on October 7^th, tying the game against the Warriors in the 82^nd minute and helping the Falcons get the draw. He tied his season-high with three shots, one on target, against Shippensburg on October 10^th, with one on target. Afrani played 60 minutes on Wednesday against Bloomsburg. He played 69 minutes against Shepherd back on September 19^th.
 
Malik Salau (Lagos, Nigeria) has a goal and an assist this season for three points, playing in eleven games this year. Salau has six shots, four on target, and earned his assist in the win against Pitt-Johnstown, serving up a perfect long ball for Pereira in the win for the Falcons. Salau scored his goal in the draw with Shippensburg on October 10^th, heading home a set piece in the 42^nd minute to bring the Falcons level. Salau played the full 90 minutes against Bloomsburg on Wednesday evening. He did not play against Shepherd earlier this year.
 
Tito Tokunboh-Salako (Columbia, MD) leads the Falcons with 19 shots, putting eleven on target this season. The first-year forward picked up the assist on Afrani's goal against East Stroudsburg (10/7). Tito has recorded at least a shot in his last four games, posting a season-high five shots, four on target, in the draw with Bloom on Wednesday. Tito had two shots in 36 minutes against Shepherd earlier this season.
 
Two goalkeepers have seen action for the Falcons this season, with second-year man Kevin Nievas (West Palm Beach, FL) as the main keeper, starting eight games. Nievas has allowed six goals in his eight games, a 0.90 goals against average, and has made 14 saves this season, with two clean sheets, which includes the scoreless draw with Bloomsburg and the win at Pitt-Johnstown on October 3^rd. That was Nievas's first game back after missing three weeks with an ankle injury. He set a season-best with four saves against East Stroudsburg on October 7^th. He had two saves in the draw with Bloomsburg on Wednesday at home. Nievas did not play against Shepherd the first time around.
 
The other keeper is Rowin Thomas (Abilene, TX), a first-year who was thrown into action when Nievas went down with injury. Thomas has given up 15 goals in seven appearances, five starts, a 2.37 goals against average. He has made 24 saves, posting a season-high six saves in a 1-0 loss to Shepherd on September 19^th. Thomas had his best game against Millersville, keeping a clean sheet in a scoreless draw for the Falcons.
 
Lackawanna College is coached by Will Flannery, in his first season at the helm and who took over the program in February earlier this calendar year. Flannery has coached and played collegiate soccer for the last ten years, previously serving as assistant coach at Lehigh University before coming to Lackawanna. In his one season with the Mountain Hawks, Lehigh made the Patriot League championship game and had six all-conference selections. Before his time in Bethlehem, Flannery spent seven years at Dickinson College in NCAA Division III. While there, he spent five seasons playing with the Devils, then transitioned into coaching immediately after his senior season concluded. Flannery became the first full-time assistant in program history and helped Dickinson achieve never-before-seen heights, including an NCAA Elite 8 appearance and finishing #6 in the national polls in 2024. He was a captain for three years while playing Dickinson. Flannery also has experience coaching at the youth level, working with the Lehigh Soccer Academy and Lehigh Valley United Rush. 
   
The Rams
Shepherd (7-3-3) has won three of its last four matches, with victories over Slippery Rock (3-1), Shippensburg (2-0), and Millersville (3-1) on its resume. The Millersville win, which came this past Wednesday, was a huge one for the Rams, who had just lost last week to East Stroudsburg by a 3-0 margin. The win over the Marauders helped keep Shepherd's faint hopes at potentially catching the top spot in the PSAC East standings, while also serving as a statement victory on the road. Reigning PSAC East POTY Josh Petty scored a pair of goals in the first half to put the Rams up, and Shepherd scored seven minutes into the second half to go up 3-0 before Millersville answered a minute later to make it 3-1. Shepherd survived a ton of pressure in the second half, with Millersville owning a 10-2 advantage in shots in the second frame, and a 16-7 overall shooting advantage for the match. Shepherd hung on, and the Rams are back in the race for the PSAC East.
 
The loss keeps Millersville (5-2-0) stuck on 15 points with three to play, with games at Bloom, at ESU, and vs. Shippensburg still to come, as well as a non-league game with Lackawanna. ESU (4-1-2) is second at 14 points, also with three games remaining (vs. Millersville, at Shippensburg, at Bloomsburg). West Chester (4-3-1) is third with 13 points and two remaining games (vs. Shippensburg, at Shepherd) and a non-league home game with Lackawanna. The Shepherd Rams (3-3-2) are fourth with eleven points, with home games against Bloomsburg and West Chester remaining.
 
Shepherd has scored 19 goals this season, a 1.46 goals per game average, while allowing 14 goals this season, just over a goal per game this year. Shepherd, despite the seven wins, has been out-shot by its opponents this season, 185-to-138. The opposition has 75 shots on target (.405 SOG), while the Rams have 58 shots on frame (.428 SOG). The Rams have 54 corners, while their opponents have 56, and Shepherd has made 61 saves this year, while forcing 40 saves from the opposition.
 
Junior forward Josh Petty has six goals this year to lead the Rams, scoring 12 points and posting 21 shots on the year. His 21 shots are second on the team, as are his eleven shots on target. Petty scored a pair of goals against Lock Haven (9/2), and had two more goals in his last game against Millersville (10/14), taking three shots. He had a season-high eight shots, three on target, in the win against Lackawanna on September 19^th, scoring the game winner in the 84^th minute.
 
Junior forward Harry Booth is second on the team with four goals and a team-high three assists this season, posting eleven points on the year. Booth has 14 shots, six on target, and has appeared in all 13 games for the Rams. Booth has come on as of late for the Rams, scoring a goal in three of the last four matches, including the third goal against Millersville this past Wednesday. He also scored against ESU (9/12), Slippery Rock (10/3), and Shippensburg (10/7). He also had an assist against the Rock on October 3^rd. Booth played 61 minutes and assisted Petty's goal in the win against Lackawanna on September 19^th.
 
First-year forward Moulay El Yagouti has three goals and one assist in 12 games for the Rams this season, leading the team with 28 shots, 13 on target. El Yagouti has scored goals against Seton Hill (8/30), Bloomsburg (9/23), and Slippery Rock (10/3), while picking up an assist against Shippensburg (10/7). He had one shot on target against Millersville on Wednesday. He had three shots, two on target, in 81 minutes against Lackawanna College earlier this year.
 
Junior keeper Aidan Houck has started all 13 games for the Rams, allowing 14 goals, a sliver over one goal per game average, and posting 61 saves. He has two clean sheets this season, coming against Lackawanna (9/19) and Shippensburg (10/7). He had three saves in the win against Lackawanna, and five saves against Shippensburg. His season-high of eight saves came against Lock Haven on September 2^nd. He had four saves in the win against Millersville this week.
 
The head coach is Ryan McDougall, now in his sixth season in charge at Shepherd. McDougall had one of the better years in recent memory at Shepherd last year, where the Rams won six games, most since 2014, and had Petty named as PSAC East AOTW. Before his time at Shepherd, McDougall was an assistant at UT Rio Grande Valley, helping the Vaqueros finish second in the WAC and earn a WAC tourney appearance in the spring 2021 season. Before that, he coached as an assistant for nine years at West Virginia Wesleyan, working primarily with the goalkeepers. That's where he went to school, as McDougall was a four-year starter at keeper with the Bobcats, leading them to an Elite Eight appearance in 2010. He was a two-time first-team all-conference selection and finished his career with 24 clean sheets in 50 matches.
 
Next: 
Lackawanna College has a pair of road games coming up next, as the Falcons first head down to West Chester University on Wednesday, October 21^st, for a 2:00pm ET clash with the Golden Rams, followed by a visit to Millersville on Saturday, October 24^th, at 1:00pm ET. Lackawanna will be back home on Wednesday, October 28th, for Senior Day against Central Pennsylvania College at 3:30pm ET at Schautz Stadium in Dunmore.