HOBOKEN, N.J. ­­– Will Burton netted a clutch goal late in the second half for the Lebanon Valley College men's soccer team, propelling the program to a thrilling 1-0 victory over Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday, Oct. 25 at the DeBaun Athletic Complex.

The Dutchmen (8-2-6, 2-0-3 MAC Freedom) and the Ducks (5-3-6, 2-1-2 MAC Freedom) battled defensively at the beginning of the game, as neither team recorded a shot for over seven minutes at the start. Stevens took a shot on goal 7:35 into the first half, and Ben Kolarek kicked the ball away from the net to deliver a team save for Lebanon Valley. The Ducks later logged an attempt 15 minutes into the contest, which went above the net. The Flying Dutchmen countered with a shot on target by Simon Grimes at the 17:40 mark, which was saved. Nathan Kimball contributed to LVC's offensive efforts as well, registering a try that was saved at the 23:39 mark. 

The programs proceeded to compete on the defensive end for nearly six minutes, as neither side took a shot during this stretch. Lebanon Valley's defense then came through with a blocked shot before another attempt by Stevens went high, within five seconds in the 30th minute. The Dutchmen also kept working to create scoring chances as the opening stanza progressed, as Charlie Kramer took a shot that was blocked at the 32:23 mark. The Ducks countered with an attempt on goal 34 seconds later, which resulted in a save for LVC by goalkeeper Ryan Simonette. The last shot of the first half was taken by LVC, as Nathan Prex sent a try over the upper-right corner of the goal at the 40:21 mark.

The Flying Dutchmen tallied the first shot of the second half, as Burton had an attempt blocked 53:09 into the game. Grimes then put a shot on target for Lebanon Valley at the 55:19 mark, which was saved. This was followed by the programs going back and forth defensively for nearly 12 minutes, as neither squad logged a shot during this stretch. Stevens then attempted a shot at the 67:03 mark that was blocked by LVC's defense, before sending a shot above the net at the 70:40 mark. The Flying Dutchmen countered with a try by Aidan Smith 73:17 into the contest, which was blocked. 

The Ducks later generated some offensive opportunities, taking a shot that went to the left of the net at the 83:59 mark before a penalty kick shot ended up left of the goal at the 84:37 mark. Lebanon Valley's defense also posted a block on an attempt by the opposition 86:43 into the game. The Dutchmen then got on the scoreboard with just 2:01 remaining in the game, taking a 1-0 lead. Burton put LVC ahead on a free kick from behind the right corner of the penalty box, which he sent into the lower-left corner of the net for a big goal. Stevens responded with a pair of shots, but these tries went to the left of the net at the 88:29 and 89:56 marks. Ultimately, Lebanon Valley held on to secure the key win.

Inside the Box Score

• Burton scored his second goal of the season, which marked his first career game-winner. The junior also tied for the team lead in shots with two.
• Simonette made one save during his third shutout of the campaign.
• Lebanon Valley recorded eight shots and had a 4-2 advantage in shots on goal. 
• Grimes tied for the team lead in shots with two, while posting a game-high two shots on target. 
• Kimball put a shot on goal while Kramer, Prex, and Smith each took a shot as well. 
• The Dutchmen and the Ducks both tallied three corner kicks. 
• The victory moved LVC into first place in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom standings with two regular-season games remaining. 
• Lebanon Valley recorded its first-ever win over Stevens and became the first conference team to defeat the Ducks in Hoboken since 2021.

Up Next
The Dutchmen will be back in action on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 3:30 p.m., when the team will host King's College for its final regular-season home game at Herbert Field. 

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