Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
LIU Brooklyn
Men's Soccer Drops Tourney Opener to LIU, 3-1
9/2/2016 6:31:00 PM | Men's Soccer
BURLINGTON, Vt. -- LIU Brooklyn scored twice in the opening 14 minutes, and a second-half goal from Justin Galiani wasn't enough as Bucknell fell 3-1 on Friday afternoon in the opening match of Vermont's Peter Baldwin Memorial Classic. The Bison fell to 0-2-1 on the season and will remain in Burlington to face Sacred Heart on Sunday.
The Bison found themselves trailing just 5:46 into this one. A long ball played down the right flank was headed away by a Bucknell defender, but only as far as Romario Guscott, who collected the ball and fired home a shot from long distance.
Not quite eight minutes later, the Blackbirds went up 2-0 through Simen Hestnes. Bucknell cleared away a corner kick, but Hestnes fired a shot back through the crowd and into the back of the net.
Rasmus Hansen made it 3-0 in the 49th minute after dribbling into a nest of orange jerseys near the top of the box. A would-be tackle fell back at Hansen's feet, and then he poked a shot past charging keeper Jonathan Baxter, who came on in the second half in his collegiate debut. .
Bucknell got on the board in the 55th minute. Galiani headed home a corner kick from Andrew Leischner to make it a 3-1 game. It was Galiani's first goal of the season and second of his career.
The Bison were on the attack over the final half-hour, but could not find a second goal. A few quality chances were blocked by defenders or just missed a post. Bucknell finished with a 9-3 shot advantage in the second half and a 14-11 margin for the game.
Starting keeper Tyler Marchiano finished with four saves, while Baxter had two in the second half. Logan Keys stopped four shots for LIU (2-1-0), which returned nine starters from last year's NCAA Tournament team.
Sunday's Bucknell-Sacred Heart contest gets underway at 12:30 p.m. at Virtue Field.
