PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Sept. 20) — The Thiel College men's soccer team earned a 3-0 win Sunday night, shutting out Carlow at FNB Stadium.
The Tomcats opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when junior Mitchell Strauss (Bradford, Pa./Bradford Area) found the back of the net at the 22:24 mark. Ryder Nowland (Haymarket, Va./Gainesville) assisted on the goal, giving Thiel an early 1-0 advantage. Strauss continued to pressure the Carlow defense throughout the match, finishing with a team-high six shots, all six of which were on goal.
Thiel doubled its lead just before halftime when Alex Ciambella (East Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville North) scored his first goal of his career in the 42nd minute. The Tomcats carried a 2-0 advantage into halftime after out-shooting Carlow 10-4 in the opening 45 minutes.
The Tomcats added another insurance goal in the 65th minute when Peyton Kushon (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes) scored his second goal of the season to push the lead to 3-0. Thiel continued to control the match offensively, finishing with a 17-7 advantage in shots and a 7-2 edge in corner kicks.
Defensively, Dylan Budziak (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) recorded his third shutout of the season after making two saves across 90 minutes. Thiel limited Carlow to just seven shots and two shots on goal while keeping the Celtics off the scoreboard.
With the victory, Thiel improved to 3-3-1 overall and 0-0-1 in PAC play.
The Tomcats return to action Tuesday, Sept. 22, when they host Grove City at Alumni Stadium at Stoeber Field.
