GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. – The Ursinus College men's soccer team (2-1) exploded for four goals on Saturday afternoon as they shutout Gwynedd Mercy, 4-0. Junior midfielder Braden Burns led the team with two goals and Tyler Lewin recorded his second clean sheet of the season.
After splitting the first two games of the season, which included a 5-0 win at home in the opener, the Bears looks to bounce back after falling, 2-0, earlier in the week to Arcadia. The two teams traded possession in the early goings before head coach Keith Cappo subbed in freshman Griffin Bower.
That decision would prove to pay off.
Two minutes later Bower fired the first shot of the day for the Bears, scoring on the play. Bower recorded four of the team's first six shots. While the Bears had their chances with eight first-half shots and two corners, the team would head into the half, 1-0.
The Bears carried that offensive momentum into the second half. Alexis Ayala fired a pair of shots in the first 10-minutes of the second half that were turned away by the keeper. Two more corners in the 67th and 68th minutes ended in missed opportunities.
On the defensive end, the Bears played solid throughout the match. The Bears defense didn't allow a single shot on the afternoon to earn Lewin his second clean sheet of the season.
Finally, in the 85th minute, the Bears broke through. Burns scored his first goal of the season to add to the Ursinus one-goal lead, making it 2-0. 51 seconds later, Ayala followed suit to make it three unanswered goals for the Bears before Burns once again found the net in the 89th minute to secure the 4-0 victory.
Notes
- The Bears last started a season 2-1 in 2017.
- Braden Burns' two goals marked the second multi-goal game of his career. He scored two goals last season against Arcadia.
- Tyler Lewin now has two shutouts on the season.
- Griffin Bower had a season-high five shots and scored his first career goal.
- The Bears' nine goals through three games are their most since at least 2010.
What's Next
The Bears host Neumann on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.