VILLANOVA, Pa. – Sophomore Soji Olatoye and freshman Bryce Gabelhart led a late surge, but the La Salle University men's soccer team came up just short in its comeback bid on the road against RV Villanova, 3-2, in Philadelphia Soccer Six action on Wednesday.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Wildcats quickly took a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute when Zach Zandi scored his fifth goal of the year.
• La Salle then found itself facing a 2-0 deficit, as Yusuf Cueceoglu tallied his third goal of the season in the 26th minute.
• Olatoye took advantage of a Wildcat penalty and made it a one-goal difference in the 36th minute with his second goal of the season, leading to a 2-1 lead for Villanova at halftime.
• Cueceoglu pushed the Villanova lead back to two in the 57th minute, however, with his second goal of the game off a cross.
• Gabelhart registered his first career goal in the 67th minute on a rebound, making things interesting as the Explorers trailed by just one with plenty of time remaining.
• Senior Hayden Criollo had two shots over the final three minutes but missed the mark, and freshman Sam DeCencio's shot in the final minute was blocked, as the Wildcats hung on for the 3-2 win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• La Salle put forth season highs in both shots (12) and shots on goal (6).
• Senior goalkeeper Cameron Keys made a season-high four saves in net for the Explorers.
• The Explorers were right on par with the Wildcats in terms of shots on goal (7-6) and had the advantage in corner kicks.

UP NEXT

• La Salle will conclude its four-game road stretch on Saturday, traveling to LIU Brooklyn for a 1 p.m. contest.