Box Score Box Score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall's No. 4 ranked men's soccer team rolled to a 2-0 shutout of Gettysburg on a rainy Wednesday evening in Centennial Conference (CC) competition.
The Diplomats improved to 14-2, 7-1 CC with the win while the Bullets dropped to 9-6-1, 4-3-1 CC.
Wednesday's victory brought F&M one step closer to obtaining the top seed heading into next week's CC Tournament. The Diplomats hold a two-point lead over Johns Hopkins (19 points), who downed McDaniel in 2OT on Wednesday. The Diplomats can clinch with a win of their own over McDaniel on Saturday or a Blue Jays' loss to Dickinson.
Gettysburg came out firing in the first half, leading the game in shots at 9-5 following the opening 45 minutes of play. However, the Diplomats controlled the tempo for long stretches of play and held the 6-3 edge on corners as both teams entered the break tied at 0-0.
Just six minutes passed in the second half when F&M tallied the first goal of the night. Max Geuder lined up for a corner and swung a ball to the far post that sailed across the goalmouth and was headed down low by Shay Adamson for the 1-0 advantage.
In the 75th, Alex Lalovic worked over a Gettysburg defender in the 18-yard box and drew a key foul that awarded a penalty-kick opportunity for the Diplomats.
A.J. Kopacz remained perfect by converting his fifth penalty-kick chance out of five opportunities this season for his team-leading 10th goal of the year.
F&M's stout defense took over from there, not allowing the Bullets to register a shot on goal in the final minutes.
Goalkeeper Christopher Amoruso (14-2) recorded five saves for his fifth shutout of the year. His counterpart, Thomas Keane (9-6-1) was charged with the loss in net after a two-save effort.
The second half saw the Diplomats dominate corner opportunities at 7-0 to capture a 13-3 advantage for the game. Shots belonged to the Bullets by a 14-9 overall margin.
Lalovic and Kopacz paced the offense with two shots each.
F&M wraps up the 2019 regular season on Saturday, hosting McDaniel at 1:00 p.m. on Tylus Field.
