Photo of Lance Berry. Copyright 2015; Wilmington University. All rights reserved. Photo by James Jones.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - - It took nearly 87 minutes for the Wilmington University men's soccer team to break through at Holy Family and it was a Lance Berry penalty kick that sealed the deal, 1-0, in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference battle on Tuesday afternoon.
The Wildcats (5-1, 3-0 CACC) led the Tigers (0-6, 0-2 CACC) both shots, 1706, and corners, 10-2, but they couldn't find the back of the net as Tiger net minder Richard Ongaro held firm, making seven saves.
The Wildcats caught a break early in the contest, as the Tigers' James Annobil's shot got past Wilmington goalkeeper Frank Hall, but hit the post and stayed out in the 16th minute.
For the rest of the first half, the Wildcats out shot the Tigers, 7-3, and nearly got on the board in the 36th minute. Clifford Nwechefom's shot got past Ongaro but stayed out of the back of the net as a defender made a team save, keeping the game scoreless.
After the break, the Wildcats outshot the Tigers, 8-2, and earned more corners, 6-1, in the second 45 minutes. Again, it was one of the Tigers' shots that had the best chance. Annobil again put a ball on frame, this time hitting the crossbar in the 65th minute.
The Wildcats put five shots on frame in the second half, but couldn't find a way to beat Ongaro until late in the contest.
Following a foul in the box, Berry buried his sixth goal of the season and second penalty kick 86:33 into the contest to count as the lone goal of the game.
Hall recorded two saves in the game, both coming in the first half, to record his second shutout of the season.
The Wildcats remain on the road for two more contests, traveling to Concordia this Saturday for another CACC contest. The Clippers are ranked seventh in this week's NSCAA Division II East Region Poll while Wilmington is ranked fifth. Concordia fell at Nyack, 3-2, in overtime on Tuesday, however.
The Wildcats and Clippers are slated for a 2:00 p.m. start in Bronxville, N.Y., on Saturday.
