BETHLEHEM, Pa. – There was only one minute remaining in Saturday afternoon's Moravian College men's soccer match against Lancaster Bible College when freshman Saul Marcial's header gave the Greyhounds a 3-2 lead.
Moravian would not relinquish the advantage, as they had done two times already on Saturday on the HUB Quad, and Head Coach Todd Ervin's squad improved to 2-0 despite a frantic final 20 seconds.
Lancaster had already equalized twice after Moravian took leads of 1-0 and 2-1. The Chargers came within inches of finding a third and earning a draw on Moravian's pitch. The Greyhounds were called for a foul right outside their penalty box as the final seconds dwindled. Lancaster's direct kick slammed against the right post and careened back into the penalty area. The Chargers' rebound attempt sailed high and a collective sigh of relief on the HUB Quad could be heard as the buzzer sounded.
"There were moments of brilliance interspersed by moments of letting our guard down," said Ervin after the thrilling roller-coaster win. "We played quite well at times, but it was one of those games where if you take five seconds off, they're going to get back into it. We gave them more opportunities than we created, and they took advantage of it."
The tense final moments would have been more nerve racking if it were not for Marcial's heroics. The freshman found himself in open space after a long ball from sophomore defenseman Austin Niekrasz found the head of senior forward Jeffrey Algor, who flicked the ball into Marcial's area. The rookie, who also scored Moravian's second goal of the match, launched a powerful header into the upper corner of the Lancaster Bible net.
"Coach always tells us to make those runs," Marcial said. "I found some space. I closed my eyes when I headed it, so I didn't know I scored until my teammates were screaming at me. It's always nice to score a game-winner."
Ervin said the freshman's physicality made a difference on Saturday.
"Saul is a monster," the fifth-year headman said. "I've never seen anyone use their body like he does. He can take on anyone and he's a very skilled player. His biggest assets are his brain and his knack for goal. We're very lucky to have him and we're excited to see what else he can do this year."
Marcial gave Moravian a 2-1 lead in the 40th minute when a well-placed first touch off a Chris Gomez pass set up a rocket to the right side of the goal.
The up-and-down day began in the 19th minute as freshman forward Brendan Barca put the Greyhounds up 1-0 with his second goal of the season. Sophomore Brett Harder picked up the assist thanks to a perfect pass to Barca on the right side of the 18-yard box, where the freshman's left-footed shot bent inside the near post.
Lancaster drew even 1-1 in the 24th minute. The Chargers' second goal came in the 54th minute, setting up a tense and tight final half hour.
Sophomore goaltender Brian Boland helped keep the score tight by making seven saves in his second start between the posts in 2013.
Ervin commended his squad's ability to keep the energy level high on a hot and humid August afternoon, one day after opening the 2013 campaign with a win.
Moravian is off to its first 2-0 start to a season since 1979. The Greyhounds will shoot for 3-0 on Wednesday at 4 p.m. when Moravian hosts Rosemont College on the HUB Quad.
