Down to 10 Players, Men's Soccer Rallies to Defeat #20 Senators on the Road

ELKINS, W. VA. – Despite going down to 10 men, the Frostburg State Men's Soccer team secured a 3-2 upset victory over No. 20 Davis & Elkins on the road Sunday afternoon.
 
In the opening minutes, each team had a spell of possession, as the first effort of the contest came from senior Randy Ferrin, who volleyed from just outside the 18, missing wide of the mark. A couple minutes later, the Senators formed an attack down the right side, eventually crossing into the box for a finish whipped into the top corner by Modou Faye and a 1-0 lead.
 
Six minutes later, sophomore Tom Leinhos lined up a free kick from distance, as his curled effort was a fairly easy catch for goalkeeper Dante Ordenes. The sides traded corner kicks without a shot being fired off, then with just under 20 minutes gone, senior Caleb Dell lofted a ball over top the D&E backline, where classmate Alex Retzos won a challenge with Ordenes just inside the box, finishing from a tight angle to even things at 1-1.
 
The FSU defense kept Davis & Elkins at bay for much of the first half, holding the hosts without a shot for the final 25 minutes. Senior Abdur-Rahman Neama received the ball and saw Ordenes off his line, trying to put it over the keeper's head, but he recovered to make the catch. Nearly 20 minutes went by with neither team registering a shot, then finally a throw in was flicked on twice, eventually finding the head of sophomore Brian Gomez, who perfectly placed the ball into the path of junior Carlos Quintero Rivas, slotting home on his left foot to take a 2-1 lead into halftime.
 
D&E came out of the break with high-tempo energy, controlling possession but unable to make anything of it in the first 10 minutes. That would change after a run down the right wing by Faye, as he crossed onto the head of Johan Magana from just a couple feet out to tie the match back up 2-2.
 
Frostburg was able to respond and kick into gear, as Retzos shot right at Ordenes, eventually getting a corner kick, although nothing came as a result of it. As the sides traded the ball back-and-forth, the Senators had a shot go wide and another get blocked by the Bobcat defense. FSU immediately countered, with senior Mateo Cuadros picking up the ball on the run of play, feeding freshman Mason Salvadge through for a finish over Ordenes into the roof of the net to regain a 3-2 advantage.
 
Davis & Elkins took the resulting kick-off straight down the left side, where a cross found its way to the edge of the box for a shot, though it was straight at freshman Jan Foret. Just seconds later, another wave came down the opposite side of the field, as CJ Knapper smacked the post with a shot that went out for a Frostburg throw. The pressure piled higher on the Bobcats, as with 25 minutes still to play, Cuadros was shown a second yellow card for a foul just inside the Senators' half, leaving FSU with 10 men.
 
Despite being a man down, Frostburg continued to play their game, as Retzos made his way downfield for a shot that just missed wide. With 13 minutes on the clock, D&E thought they had equalized, as another cross was headed on by Magana, but the crossbar came to the rescue, preserving the one-goal lead. Inside the final 10 minutes, Davis & Elkins played a ball into the box, where Foret was quick off his line to shut down the angle and send the attempted shot out for a corner.
 
Still in search of an equalizer, Knapper had a great chance from seven yards out, but could only fire high after getting the ball stuck under his feet. With five minutes left, Frostburg's defense held firm, limiting the hosts to just three shots, none of which were on target, while turning away three corner kicks to preserve the upset victory.
 
The win marks the program's first over a ranked team since joining Division II. D&E held a 12-9 advantage in shots, but the Bobcats held a 6-4 mark in efforts on goal.
 
With the victory, Frostburg improves to 4-1 overall, while Davis & Elkins falls to 3-2-1. The Bobcats continue their three-game road trip on Wednesday, September 25 as they face West Liberty at 5 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.