WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.—A half-dozen Warriors found the back of the net as the Lycoming College men's soccer team punched their ticket to the Landmark Conference Championship with an emphatic 6-0 victory in a Landmark Conference matchup against Wilkes University on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at UPMC Field.
Lycoming (6-6-5) scored twice in the first half and four times in the second against Wilkes (1-13-4), scoring six goals in a match for the first time since Nov. 2, 2023. The Warriors have now qualified for the Landmark Conference tournament in all three seasons in the league, this time doing so as the No. 6 seed. The Warriors will open the tournament on Saturday, Nov. 1, when they head to third-seeded Moravian University for a 4 p.m. game.
The Warriors took the lead early on, as first year Leandro Cruz (Nottingham, Md. / Loyola Blakefield) took a corner from first-year Kevin Kouassi (Germantown, Md. / Quince Orchard) and headed it in during the fifth minute for his third goal of the year. In the 40th minute, senior Thomas Geyer (Havre De Grace, Md. / Harford Tech) fired a corner kick that was deflected in to the net for his first goal of the year, giving the Warriors a 2-0 lead at the half.
In the second half, senior Owen Magee (Selinsgrove, Pa. / Selinsgrove Area) snuck a deflected shot past the keeper for his third score of the year. Twenty minutes later, sophomore Xavier Dandridge (Baltimore, Md. / Archbishop Curley) scored off first year Josh Andersen's (Langhorne, Pa. / Neshaminy) pass for a four goal lead.
In the 85th minute, first-year Tyler Ruch (Sykesville, Md. / Century) was in position to fire fellow first-year Max Kocher's (Benton, Pa. / Benton Area) shot into the net for his first career goal. Barely a minute later, senior Cole Sharpnack (Pitman, N.J. / Pitman) converted a penalty kick goal for his first career score, capping off the rout.
In goal, sophomore Jace Bennett (Falling Waters, W.Va. / Spring Mills) made four saves and secured his third clean sheet in a row and his seventh of the season. Bennett has now played 302 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal.
The winner of Saturday's game between Moravian and Lycoming will head to No. 2 seed Catholic University of America on Wednesday, Nov. 5 for a semifinal at 6 p.m.
