Geno breaks ETSU single-season goals record

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 13, 2012) – Junior Luis Calzadilla (Caracas, Venezuela) scored just 24 seconds into the game on Saturday night at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex, and the ETSU men’s soccer team led for every minute to shutout Lipscomb, 3-0, in Atlantic Sun play.

Calzadilla’s early goal was the quickest in ETSU (7-5-2, 3-1-0 A-Sun) history. Senior Colin Pugh (Dublin, Ireland) found Calzadilla on the left side, who beat Lipscomb (4-9-0, 1-2-0 A-Sun) keeper Miguel Hof with a shot to the right post. That score held through halftime, until junior David Geno (Kingsport, Tenn.) broke his own ETSU record for goals in a single-season with his 10th of the year. Before it was said and done, senior Alesi Osorio (Austin, Texas) put the cherry on top with a third goal to cap off a decisive performance.

Redshirt junior goalkeeper Ryan Coulter (Dublin, Ireland) was called upon to make just one save en route to earning his fourth shutout of the season. ETSU’s back line limited to Bisons to seven shots and only one shot on goal.

“We’re always looking for that complete performance, and tonight was something we’ll look to replicate every time we play,” ETSU head coach Scott Calabrese said. “We defended very well for 90 minutes with the right focus and right level of concentration. We were also able to possess the ball very well and create chances.

“It’s always difficult to go on the road in a conference game, but I thought we came out with the right attitude and right work ethic. We started the game exactly the way we wanted to, and were able to impose ourselves.”

If you were late to the game, you missed it. Just 24 seconds after the first whistle, Pugh fed Calzadilla up the left side, and the redshirt junior took possession of the ball in some space. Calzadilla fired the game’s first shot low and toward the right post, beating Hof for his fourth goal of the season.

Following the goal, Miguel Hof came out with an injury and was substitued for by John Schnurbusch.

ETSU took just one other shot in the half, which came off the foot of junior defender Blaike Woodruff (Georgetown, Texas) and was saved. The Buccaneers also held the Bisons to just one shot in the half, which Ethan Summers sent high.

Nine minutes into the second half, Geno struck for his record-setting 10th goal of the season to put the Bucs up by two. Itode Fubara (Ogbema, Nigeria) found Geno with a through ball along the right half of the field, and the Atlantic Sun’s leading goal scorer rolled a shot back across the body of Schnurbusch. The shot hit off the Lipscomb keeper’s hand and slowly made its way over the goal line.

“It was a great ball in from Fubi,” said Geno, who now has 22 goals in his ETSU career. “It feels great to go on the road and come away with good win like this. Hopefully we can come home next week and play like this against NKU.”

With 15 minutes to play, Osorio put the game away with a hard drive in the upper-left corner. ETSU had possession near the top of the box, and Osorio came rushing in to collect a deflection. The ETSU junior took a couple steps toward goal and blasted a missile pas Schnurbusch to give the Buccaneers an insurmountable lead.

As it did for the majority of the game, ETSU controlled possession through the final stages and walked away with three points to jump into a tie for first place in the Atlantic Sun standings with undefeated, 3-0, Mercer.

ETSU heads back to Johnson City to take on Northern Kentucky next Friday at 7 p.m.

 

ETSU Notes

- Luis Calzadilla scored his fourth goal of the year, putting ETSU on top just 24 seconds into the contest. The goal is the fastest in ETSU’s five-year history.

- David Geno put in his 10th goal of the year to break his own ETSU single-season record, which he set last year. The Dobyns-Bennett junior now has 22 in his career.

- Alesi Osorio scored his second goal of the season, and the eighth of his four-year career.

- Colin Pugh assisted Calzadilla’s opening score, earning Pugh his fifth assist of the season and tying him with Geno and Woodruff for the team-lead.

- Itode Fubara assisted Geno’s goal, earning the junior his third assist of the season and 11th of his career.

- ETSU improves to 5-2-0 vs. Lipscomb all-time.

 

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