9/16/26
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – After holding the top men's soccer team in the PSAC East to a goalless draw, Lackawanna College men's soccer will be looking for more against another solid opponent, as the Falcons travel to take on the Huskies from Bloomsburg in a first-ever match-up between the two sides on Wednesday, September 16^th, at 7:00pm ET at Steph Pettit Stadium in Bloomsburg.
 
The Falcons
Lackawanna (0-3-2) had a great showing in its last contest, holding Millersville, picked to win the PSAC East this year, to a scoreless draw on Saturday afternoon in NEPA. It was the first positive result for the Falcons against a PSAC opponent this season. Keeper Rowin Thomas (Abilene, TX) had four saves to help secure the win and his first-ever clean sheet. Lackawanna was outshot, 16-7, and gave up nine corners, but managed to hold on for the result. You can read the full recap HERE.
 
Wisdom Afrani (Accra, Ghana) recorded three shots, two on target, all within the first 15 minutes of the game.
Jonathan Cuellar (El Paso, TX) added a pair of shots off the bench, while Brayden D'Aiello (Boyertown, PA) and Gage Sauserman (Shippensburg, PA) each recorded one shot.
 
On the season, the Falcons have given up eight goals and scored two in five games this year. Lackawanna has 46 shots, 20 on target (.435), with their opponents posting 63 shots, 18 on target (.286). The Falcons have 18 corner kicks, while their opponents have 27 corners this year.
 
Cristian Lopez-Contreras (Guatemala) has the assist on each goal for the Falcons, and the goal scorers are Miguel Pereira (Revere, MA) and Aydin Boyunegmez (Millville, PA). Boyunegmez's goal came against Berkeley on September 5^th, a header off a free kick from Lopez-Contreras. Pereira's goal came in the draw against King's College. Lopez-Contreras leads the team with nine shots and five on target, while Afrani has eight shots, and D'Aiello and Tito Tokunboh-Salako (Columbia, MD) both have five shots. In between the pipes, Kevin Nievas (West Palm Beach, FL) has four saves and has started in the first four games for the Falcons. Thomas has five saves this year and has made three appearances, getting his first start and clean sheet in the draw with Millersville.
 
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.
 
In seven months, Flannery has re-energized the squad with a strong professional work ethic that emphasizes accountability and team culture, and the Falcons will field a team with young, talented players at nearly all positions.
 
There wasn't much that returned from last year's team, in terms of production, but multiple transfers have experience on the collegiate level elsewhere, including Lopez-Contreras, who was a second-team NJCAA All-American last year at Harford CC, where he scored 15 goals and had seven assists for the Fighting Owls. The Falcons hope to pair his talent with speedy wingers on the edge and center forwards up front.
 
 
The Huskies
Bloomsburg (3-2-1) has had an uneven start to its season, winning three of the first four games, but then going winless in its last two, including a 3-1 loss at Shippensburg last week and a 1-1 draw at Lock Haven this past Saturday. In that game against the Bald Eagles, Bloom outshot the hosts, 15-9, and had nine shots on target, but it was LHU that scored the first goal in the 82^nd minute. Bloom desperately pursued the equalizer and got it with 19 seconds remaining, scoring a 90^th minute goal from Ty Mikula to earn a draw.
 
Bloomsburg has scored 12 goals this season, while allowing nine, and the Huskies have a 79-47 shot advantage, putting 32 shots on target (.405). Their opponents have 18 shots on target this year. Bloomsburg has a 32-19 advantage in corner kicks this year.
 
Senior forward Owen Hollobaugh leads the Huskies with five points on two goals and one assist. Hollobaugh is one of three Huskies with two goals this season. Hollobaugh is tied for the team-high with eleven shots this year, putting five on target. He scored a goal in each of his last two appearances, against Goldey-Beacom and Shippensburg, but he missed the game against Lock Haven. Hollobaugh was the PSAC Freshman of the Year in 2023, and he earned a third-team United Soccer Coaches All-America designation in 2024.
 
Redshirt sophomore defender Andrew Beagle is second on the team in points, tied Nick Guzak with four points this year. Beagle has a pair of goals on just six shots. His two goals came against Jefferson and Frostburg State near the beginning of the season. Beagle played the Lock Haven game, getting the start.
 
Guzak is a sophomore forward with a pair of goals this year in his six games, scoring against Felician to open the year in August, and then getting another goal against Goldey-Beacom. Guzak is tied with Holloboaugh for shots (11) and shots on target (5). Guzak played on last year's team that made PSAC semi-finals. He was a four-year member of his HS team at Washington Township, and he made All-State.
 
First-year keeper Drew Offenberg has slightly more time in the pipes (273:05) than junior Ryan Moroney (263:09). Offenberg has given up five goals in his four appearances, three starts, posting four saves. He allowed just one goal in the draw with Lock Haven, getting the start. Meanwhile, Moroney has given up four goals and made five saves this season. Moroney has not appeared for two weeks, last playing against Frostburg State.
 
The head coach is Mark Bassett, now entering his sixth season with the Huskies. Bassett has 62 wins in his time with the program, and he has taken the Huskies to highs that they have not otherwise achieved, including the program's first-ever PSAC championship in 2024, sending Bloom to the national tournament for the first time in program history. Bassett spent 14 years at King's College before coming to Bloomsburg in 2021, winning 159 games with the Monarchs and making ten trips to the Freedom Conference tournament. He won a pair of conference titles with King's College and helped the Monarchs make the NCAA tournament. Before his time at King's, and before a brief year at Goucher College, Bassett was an assistant coach working on his Master's degree with Bloomsburg in the early 2000's. Before that, he picked up his bachelor's degree from Messiah in 2001.
 
The Huskies were chosen to finish third in the PSAC East coaches poll this year, slotted ahead of East Stroudsburg, Shepherd, and Shippensburg, and just behind Millersville and West Chester.
 
Game Details
Lackawanna College (0-3-2) at Bloomsburg University (3-2-1)
Wednesday 9/19, 7:00pm ET; Steph Pettit Field (Welsh Circle, Bloomsburg, PA 17815)
 
Live Video: PSAC Digital Network
Live Stats: Bloomsburg University Live Stats
 
The match-up is the first of two clashes between the Huskies and the Falcons.
 
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Next up, the Falcons hit the road to take on Shepherd University on Saturday, 19^th, in another PSAC match-up for Lackawanna. First kick of the men's game is set for 3:30pm ET at the Shepherd Soccer Complex in Shepherdstown, WV.