New Concord, Ohio – The Transylvania men's soccer team used a last-minute penalty kick to earn a dramatic 2-1 win against the Muskingum University Fighting Muskies at Sherman Field on Saturday night.
The win boosts the Pioneer record to 2-3-1 on the season while the loss drops the Fighting Muskies to 2-6 on the year.
The Pioneers controlled the pace from the opening whistle by maintaining possession in the attacking half. Transylvania opened the scoring through a beautiful team goal in the 34th minute. Max Nusbacher collected a pass at the top of the penalty area and rifled a shot that was miraculously saved by the Muskingum goalkeeper. Jake Renneker raced to the ricochet and calmly slotted the goal home to vault the Pioneers in front, 1-0.
The pressure was maintained for the remainder of the half as the Pioneers outshot the Muskies 8-4 with a 4-1 advantage in shots on goal. The tactics changed in the 61st minute due to Jeremy Mason earning a red card and reducing the Pioneers to 10 men. Muskingum equalized almost instantly in the 66th minute as a deflected shot trickled over the line to tie the match at 1-1.
The drama-filled contest was capped off in the 90th minute as Hunter Little darted down the left side of the pitch on a counterattack. As the sophomore entered the penalty area, a Muskingum defender made a poor challenge, earning a yellow card and giving the Pioneers a last-minute lifeline. Jak Birdsong stepped up to the spot and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to earn a 2-1 victory for the Pioneers.
The Pioneers will look to build on the positive momentum when they open up Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, September 29th against the Anderson University Ravens. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. at Pat Deacon Stadium.
For more information on Transylvania men's soccer, follow @TransyMSoccer on Twitter
