Box Score LANCASTER, Pa. – Constant pressure, strong defense and another solid performance from its starting goalkeeper paced the No. 7 Franklin & Marshall men's soccer team in a prevailing 4-0 shutout of Lebanon Valley on Saturday afternoon at Tylus Field.
The Diplomats have now opened the year with three straight shutouts and a 3-0 record, while the Dutchmen fell to 1-2.
With the victory, the Diplomats will square off against Wesley tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. in the championship game of the F&M/LVC Tournament, taking place in Annville.
LVC had an early opportunity to put a point on the board in the fifth minute, when a long Dutchmen cross reached the center of the box, however Trevor Britton stormed out of the net to cut off the opportunity.
The Diplomats' offense took over from there putting unrelenting pressure on the LVC defense, which finally paid off in the 22nd minute when a flurry of shots led to a Jared Bomba rebound goal, his first of the year. Chase TenBrook made it 2-0 just 12 minutes later, causing a turnover just outside the box and sending a shot into the far left side of the net.
In the second, a Bomba blast on net went off the hands of the Dutchmen's keeper and found the foot of Janse Schermerhorn, who netted the first goal of his career, lofting a shot into the top-left corner, for the 3-0 lead. Ben Wild rounded out the scoring in the 74th minute when a long Conor Pellas cross from the right side of the field was headed in by the sophomore defender.
Britton (3-0) earned the victory after stopping three shots in 78 minutes of action, before being relieved by David Reingold. Cam Avery (0-1) was dealt the loss, despite picking up 11 saves.
F&M dominated on shots at 29-5, while also leading on corners at 7-6. Bomba led the way in shots with seven, followed by Sam Lane with four.
