Wilson Rains on Lions’ Parade
ALTOONA, Pa. – Penn State Altoona men's soccer kicked off its 2018 season at home on Friday night, but Wilson College dampened the Lions' spirits by handing them a rain-soaked 6-0 loss at Spring Run Stadium.
Wilson (1-0) got a hat trick from Aaron Russ, while Samuel Appiah finished with a goal and an assist on an evening during which a steady rain fell for much of the game.
Tanner Yaw (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) started in goal for Penn State Altoona (0-1) and made four saves before exiting the game late in the first half. From there on out, Joe Koontz (Everett, PA/Everett) handled the work between the pipes and made three saves.
Jordan Crist (Alum Bank, PA/Chestnut Ridge) led the Lions in shots, recording two of his team's five.
Wilson drew first blood at 8:18 when Russ crossed a pass into the middle of the box, where Appiah was able to chip a shot past the keeper to make it 1-0.
Russ notched his first goal of the evening at 33:51, when he raced down the right side of the field and angled a shot past the keeper to make it 2-0. He increased the Phoenix lead to 3-0 at 39:06, when he was able to maneuver past the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation to score.
Wilson scored three more goals in the second half to double its total. Justin Vizzi made it 4-0 at 51:05 when his sliding shot found the back of the net. Russ clinched his three-goal night at 79:15 when he worked through the defense to score, and Rene Quintanilla made it 6-0 at 83:41 when he took a deflected ball in the middle of the field and came in on goal to score.
Wilson held a 29-5 advantage over Penn State Altoona in total shots attempted, including a 13-2 lead in shots on goal. The Lions had a 7-6 advantage in corner kicks.
Lions soccer returns to action tomorrow, Saturday, September 1 when it hosts non-conference opponent Allegheny College for a 5:15 p.m. game.
