Hug Leads Offense as Oilers Open Season With A Win in New York
Rochester, NY – The University of Findlay men's soccer team kicked off their 2022 campaign in the upstate New York on Thursday, August 25 as they took on Roberts Wesleyan College out of the East Coast Conference (ECC). Despite trailing early in the game, the Oilers scored a pair of unanswered goals to secure a 2-1 victory. The win gives the Oilers a 1-0 record to start the year while Roberts Wesleyan begins the season 0-1.
The Redhawks got on the board first, just nine minutes into the game, when Dylan Ruiz, the ECC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, found teammate Justin Robertson who put one to the back of the net for a 1-0 advantage early in the contest.
Less than ten minutes later, the Oilers struck back. Senior David Hug beat the Roberts Wesleyan defense on the right side of the field and found junior forward Zach Lauron, the Oilers leading goal-scorer last season, cutting into the box. Lauron quickly redirected the pass into the goal, tying the game at 1-1.
With three and a half minutes to go before halftime, Hug was again involved, this time picking up his first goal of the season on a pass from junior Mitchell Hanosh. That goal gave Findlay a 2-1 lead.
In the second half, both teams struggled to get good looks as each squad managed just six shot attempts in the final 45 minutes of action. The final good look for the Redhawks came with 12 minutes remaining on a shot from Ruiz, but Findlay's senior goalkeeper Andrew Boulton made the save as the Oilers went on to the win.
Boulton picked up the win in the net as he played all 90 minutes, allowing one goal and making four saves.
Findlay outshot the Redhawks 15-11 in the game including an eight-to-five advantage in shots-on-goal.
Lauron took three shots, two of which were on goal, and had one goal while Hug had a goal and an assist with one shot taken. Junior Nick McCracken had two shots, both on goal, while junior Peyton Trask took three shots, one of which was on goal.
Findlay returns to the pitch on Saturday, August 27 when they will take on Slippery Rock University on the road. That game will begin at 1:00 pm.