ANNVILLE, Pa. – Sophomore goalkeeper Brian Boland and the Moravian College men's soccer team posted the season's first clean sheet in a 0-0 double-overtime draw at Lebanon Valley College on Saturday afternoon.
The Greyhound goalie saved seven shots in his 110 minutes between the pipes on Saturday, and the defense turned away 17 corner kick attempts as Moravian moved its record to 3-2-1.
Senior Justin Dilts, junior Lewis Cooper, sophomore Austin Niekrasz and freshman Ian Larimer all chipped in to a paltry Greyhound backline.
"Recording a clean sheet is a first priority for me and the defense every game," Boland said. "It was a big plus from today's game. They tested me a decent amount, but it was nothing I could not handle. I would say 99 percent of the clean sheet is thanks to my defense. We're one big unit back there, and we communicated well and covered everyone."
Lebanon Valley (4-1-1) outshot Moravian 17-6, but the Greyhounds certainly had their chances to break the deadlock. Senior forward Jeffrey Algor, sophomore midfielder David Tate and freshman forward Saul Marcial all put shots on goal, forcing the Dutchmen keeper to make saves.
In the end, it was the Moravian defenders who helped the club take a positive result from a tough road match.
"They played very well and did everything we asked them to," head coach Todd Ervin said of his backline. "It was a nice rebound for them after the Muhlenberg game, which did not go well for us, and it really was a great performance overall today. There's great confidence coming with holding them out of our goal, which will help us going forward."
Ervin also commended the play of freshman midfielder Robert McKinley, who helped the Greyhounds with consistent ball movement from the center of the field. The scoring chances on Saturday were limited, but the ones that matriculated were often started on the foot of McKinley in midfield.
Saturday afternoon marked the first time a Moravian men's soccer match ended in a double-overtime, scoreless draw since Oct. 9, 2010 against the United States Merchant Marine Academy on the HUB Quad.
The Greyhounds continue their tour of the Pennsylvania valleys when they travel to Delaware Valley College on Wednesday, September 18 for a 4 p.m. non-conference match.
