BLUEFIELD, Va. – Bluefield scored just over seven minutes into the men's soccer game on Saturday afternoon. The Bears would answer back with a Joseph Webster goal in the 22nd minute of play to send the game tied in halftime. Bluefield took the lead back in the 61st minute and would add an insurance goal with just under four minutes remaining in its 3-1 win.
The Rams first goal came on the game's first shot to give Bluefield an early 1-0 lead. The Bears would answer over 13 minutes later when Chad Johnston set up Webster for his second goal of the season. Webster's goal tied the game with less than 24 minutes to play in the opening half. For Johnston, his helper gave him sole possesion of SSU's all-time assist record.
After a save by each goalie to start the second half, Bluefield scored on its second shot of the half. The goal came with just 29:38 to play. Facing the deficit, the Bears would turn up the pressure offensively and take six shots in the second half. This would actually allow SSU to hold an 11-10 advantage in shots at the end of the game, but it just could not beat the Rams' goalie.
The Rams would put another dagger in the hopes of a Shawnee State win with 3:10 left with an insurance goal, making the final score 3-1.
The Bears put five of their 11 shots on goal, while Bluefield put nine of its 10 attempts on target. In goal, Thomas Carbonari stopped six shots in his 90 minutes in net. His counterpart made four stops in his 90 minutes in goal.
Purpero led all offensive players with five shots in the game. He put two of those attempts on goal. Webster took two shots and put both of those attempts on goal, including the Bears' only goal of the contest. Brice Patterson, Ben Pulsford, Ryan Klear and Chris Wiget also recorded shots on Saturday.
Shawnee State will now have their final non-conference game of the season this Tuesday at Kentucky Christian. That game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start and will be played as a doubleheader with the women's game.
The Bears are now guaranteed a playoff spot in the MSC Tournament but can place no higher than sixth after the loss to Bluefield. With three conference wins, the Bears currently sit in sixth. However, there are three teams below them with two wins. Two of those schools must play each others, while SSU will play the other two-win team, Cumberland University, in its final regular season game.
