Over the weekend the ETSU men’s soccer team faced Milligan in an exhibition game in preparation for their season opener match against High Point.
Very early in the match, the Bucs almost gave up a goal, but were fortunate Milligan didn’t capitalize. Hitting the top of the goal post, junior Goalie Daniel Adelman (Johnson City, Tenn.) had to do with the missed potential goal shot.
Moving the ball well in the first half, the Bucs got aggressive. Junior Fletcher Ekern (Knoxville, Tenn.) kicked a long ball down the field to senior Joao Ramalho (Monte Santo, Brazil) in an attempt to attack the Milligan defense. This worked, forcing Milligan to catch the ball. However, it was caught in the box, allowing the Bucs to get a penalty kick.
Ramalho earned the first point for the Bucs, scoring in the corner of the goal. Not fives minutes after the score, the game was delayed due to thunder sightings in the area. After a brief hiatus, Ekern was able to find one his teammates for another score for the Bucs.
This time senior Mitchell Cecatiello (Pascagoula, Miss.) scored to give the Bucs a 2-0 lead. Just before the half, Ekern was able to get a score for himself, giving the Bucs a 3-0 lead.
In the second half, both defenses tightened up, preventing any offensives opportunities until a Bucs defender got tangled with Milligan offensive player resulting in a penalty kick. Milligan’s penalty kicker kicked the ball straight to Adelman, enabling the Bucs to keep a 3-0 lead.
Sophomore Cam Schneider (Knoxville, Tenn.) added on another goal for the Bucs to build on the Bucs dominant 4-0 tally. Junior Cameron Woodfin (Old Hickory, Tenn.) scored for the Bucs to give the Bucs an even more commanding 5-0 lead. Woodfin soon after scored again to give the Bucs a 6-0 lead.
The Bucs won the exhibition 6-0 and look ready for their match against High Point on Friday.
