COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Capital University men's soccer team was back for day two of a weekend back-to-back, this time facing the Spartans of Case Western Reserve University. The Comets – having been shutout in a loss to Loras in their first game of the season on Friday night – came into the contest looking to bounce back and jump start their scoring efforts for the new campaign. And that is exactly what they did, defeating CWRU by a score of 4-3 in a Saturday night shootout. 


1ST HALF
The night didn't have the best beginnings for Capital as Case Western Reserve screamed out to a 1-0 lead in just the 6th minute. The goal came from Lukas Dalakis shooting into an empty net as Cap goalkeeper was disposed of after knocking away a ball into the box. That ball found its way to Dalakis who quickly deposited it into the net. Things got worse before they got better when CWRU's Matt Vatne found the top left corner of the goal following an assist from Jacob Salmon. 

However, the Comets would not go quietly, and responded quickly to keep the game within reach. The score came from the foot of sophomore Devon Hess who struck the ball into the lower corner of the goal to make it a 1-2 game in the 22nd minute. Hess was assisted on the goal by junior Jack Francisco who played the ball past the last line of defenders, and gave Hess the 1-on-1 chance with only the keeper to beat.

The Purple and White found their way back even less than six minutes later, with Hess again being the hero. Following a long pass ahead from fellow sophomore Rhyan Caruso, Hess dribbled past his marker and let one fly from the far left corner of the penalty box. The ball seemed to float through the air and past the keeper as it found its way into the upper right quadrant, bringing the game to a 2-2 standing. That's how it would stay until the whistle blew to send the teams to their respective locker rooms at the halfway point.


2ND HALF
When the teams returned to the pitch, Capital took no time to take the lead, scoring just 1:10 into the fresh period. Francisco played set-up-man once again, this time making his way down the left sideline before sending a cross into the box and finding the head of freshman Jacob Deever who nodded it into the net. Cheers erupted from the sideline and the stand as the goal not only put Cap in the lead, but also gave the young Deever his first career goal. 

Deever wouldn't stop there, providing an insurance goal just two minutes later. Following a deep free kick from junior Jarrett Puckett who played a ball into the box that would be heading away by a Spartan defender, Deever read the highball and struck it out of the air with a right-footed volley. The result was a high arching shot that found the lower left corner and gave the Comets a 4-2 lead with 40 minutes to play. 

Case Western Reserve would not back down, crawling back to within one in the 75th minute. This time it was Sean Atwater with the goal for the Spartans, assisted by Lukas Dalakis.

From then on, the Purple and White shifted to a heavy defense, pulling most of their attacking players back and sending loose balls deep into the CWRU defensive zone to run out the clock. Despite multiple attempts from the Spartans to equalize, including a few that were a little too close for comfort, the Cap defense stood strong and held out to the end. When the final whistle blew, the Comets had secured their first win of the young campaign, 4-3.

Capital rises to 1-1-0. Case Western Reserve falls to 0-1-1.


THE NUMBERS
As a team, the Comets fired off eight shots, five of which found their target.

Sophomore Devon Hess finally got Capital into the scoring column with his first two goals of the season.

Freshman Jacob Deever was quick to tie Hess for the team scoring title, putting away his first two goals of the season and his freshly started career.

Junior Jack Francisco takes the title of assist-man with his two dimes on the day. 

Junior Jack Kossoudji and sophomore Rhyan Caruso played key roles in getting the offense moving, winning balls in the midfield and pushing forward to create chances on the offensive end.

Cap keeper Kellen Sargent made his season debut, playing the full 90 minutes and making 3 saves. He faced 20 shots, six of which found their mark.

Three players were cautioned in the contest. CWRU's McLaren Baggett, as well as Cap's Kossoudji and Derrick Harris made their way into the book after seeing yellow.


THE OPPONENT
The Spartan goals were scored by Lukas Dalakis, Sean Atwater, and Matt Vatne.

Jackson Kallen played all 90 minutes in goal for CWRU. He made one save.


UP NEXT
The Comets will get a week off with their next contest taking place on Saturday, September 10 at Washington & Jefferson. Kickoff from Washington, Pennsylvania will be at 1:00 PM.