DALLAS, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley men's soccer team received goals from JJ Porter and Gavin Rapp in a hard-fought 3-2 defeat to Misericordia University on a cold and windy Friday evening at Mangelsdorf Field in Dallas in the final game of the regular season.
 
The Dutchmen (9-3-6, 3-1-3 MAC Freedom) put together a strong effort despite the conditions against the Cougars (8-6-4, 3-2-2 MAC Freedom) in a game that Misericordia needed to win to keep their postseason hopes alive. LVC maintained possession early on and built up play into the fourth minute when Nathan Prex found space just outside of the box for a shot. His attempt was saved by the Misericordia keeper. A minute later, Will Burton had his shot sail just right of the goal. The Cougars had their first opportunity at the goal in the eighth minute with a shot that missed to the right.
 
LVC put pressure on the hosts in the 12th minute, earning the first corner kick of the game. Ben Kolarek and Ethan Groff had shot attempts blocked following the corner. Misericordia earned its first corner late in the 16th minute as it started to build an offensive attack. They scored the first goal of the game a minute later as a cross from the right side was knocked into the back of the net. The Dutchmen tried to answer a few minutes later as Prex had a pair of shots blocked. Prex nearly equalized the score in the 28th minute as his shot from just outside the box went right over the crossbar. Misericordia was able to increase the lead to 2-0 in the 42nd minute on a blast from outside the box that found the right corner of the goal. LVC increased its intensity and cut the deficit to one with 38 seconds left in the half as JJ Porter knocked a loose ball into the back of the net during a scrum in the middle of the box.
 
LVC came out firing to begin the second half. Dom Beddia put a shot on goal that was knocked over the crossbar in the 48th minute for a corner kick. Kolarek saw his shot sail just right of the net off the corner. A couple of minutes later, Burton took a shot that went right over the crossbar. Charlie Kramer had a shot from the top of the box saved before Prex saw a shot hit off the crossbar and out of bounds in the 54th minute. The Cougars worked the ball down the field and were able to score off a rebound after Ryan Simonette made a save on a shot from the left side.
 
The Dutchmen responded with a flurry of shot attempts over the next 10 minutes. Burton had a shot saved, Groff had the wind take a shot wide right, Prex had a shot blocked, and then a blast from Nathan Kimball was saved. Misericordia was able to keep the Dutchmen at bay for the following five minutes before LVC put on another attack at the goal. Ollie Lynch had a shot sail wide, Prex had a shot on a breakaway kicked away for a save, and then Prex just missed high on a blast from the top of the box. The Dutchmen were able to cut into the lead in the 75th minute on a corner kick as Gavin Rapp jumped above a group of Cougars and headed in his fourth goal of the year. Nathan Newsom sent the ball in for the assist. The Dutchmen kept the pressure on over the final 15 minutes, but the Cougar defense held strong, limiting LVC to three shots. Porter had a shot saved in the 79th minute, Kimball had a shot blocked in the 83rd minute, and Burton missed to the right in the 85th minute.
 
Inside the Box

• The Dutchmen had two first-years score in the same game for the first time this season.
• Porter scored his third goal of the year while Rapp totaled his fourth.
• Newsom recorded his first career point with the assist on Rapp's goal.
• LVC controlled possession 54 percent of the game, with 68 percent of their possession coming on their offensive half of the field.
• The Dutchmen had a commanding 25-8 shot advantage in the game, including 9-4 in shots on goal.
• Prex took a game-high eight shots and put two of them on goal.
• Lebanon Valley had four corner kicks in each half, while Misericordia had four total.

 
Up Next
The Dutchmen will host a conference semifinal matchup on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 2 p.m. on Herbert Field. LVC's seed and opponent in next week's MAC Freedom Championships will be determined after tomorrow's final three regular-season games. The main game that affects LVC's seeding is Stevens Institute of Technology at Delaware Valley. If the Ducks defeat the Aggies, SIT will be the top seed while LVC will be the second seed. A tie or DVU win will enable the Dutchmen to win the regular season title and the top seed in the conference tournament.

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