GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Needing every break possible to make the Centennial Conference playoffs, the Ursinus College men's soccer team did its part on Saturday afternoon by defeating Gettysburg, 4-1.
The Bears (8-8-1, 4-4-1 Centennial) finished at .500 or better for the first time since the 1995 season (10-8) and kept alive its playoff hopes. The Bears will not know whether or not they are in till after the Swarthmore-F&M match Saturday night.
As for the match itself, the Bears scored two goals in each half to take the win.
Freshman forward Matt Cioeta (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley) scored two of the four goals, while sophomore forward Ryan Butler (Palmyra, N.J./Palmyra) and freshman forward Ryan Molyneaux (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) scored the others. Butler and sophomore midfielder Dean DerSimonian (Wayne, Pa./Radnor) had assists.
The Bears struck first in the 20th minute as Cioeta scored on a cross from Butler that deflected off of the goalie's hands. After the Bullets (3-13-1, 3-5-1 Centennial) scored on a Tyler Shaffer goal 32 seconds later, Ursinus took a 2-1 lead when Molyneaux scored on a throw-in at 24:12, assisted by freshman forward Wyatt Powell (Concord, Mass./Concord-Carlisle)
Cioeta scored his second goal of the game on a cross from DerSimonian at 58:13 followed by Butler's solo goal at 65:56.
In goal, sophomore Daniel Cartwright (Montclair, N.J./Montclair) made two saves in 80 minutes, while freshman Vince Maiorino (Mount Laurel, N.J./Bishop Eustace) played the final ten minutes.