Crusaders Catch, Pass Gophers in Second Half

Lais Becomes Seventh Player in Program History with 20 Goals

TOWSON, Md. — Goucher was able to maintain the 1-0 lead it took midway through the first half of today's Landmark Conference game against Susquehanna through halftime, but less than two minutes into the second half, the Crusaders caught the Gophers.

The 1-1 tie lasted only another 10 minutes before Susquehanna went ahead for the first time — and to stay. With Joe DeLuca supplying both the game-tying and go-ahead goals and Kyle Semmel matching DeLuca's two-goal effort, the Crusaders came away with a 5-1 victory.

The goal that staked the Gophers (5-8-1, 2-3 Landmark) to a 1-0 advantage was scored at 20:23 by senior forward Elijah Lais (Grantsville, Md./Northern Garrett), who knocked home a sliding pass from the 6 that came off the foot of sophomore midfielder Lashaw Salta (Allen, Texas/Plano East). It was the team-leading fourth goal of the season for Lais and the 20th of his four-year career, making him only the seventh player in the history of Goucher's men's soccer program to score 20 or more goals.

Shots were 6-3 in Susquehanna's favor in the first half. Over the final 45 minutes, the Crusaders (6-6-1, 2-2 Landmark) unleashed 22 shots, five of which turned into goals. DeLuca accounted for the first two goals, heading in a ball at 46:45 to create a 1-1 tie and then tacking on an unassisted goal at 56:55 to put his team up 2-1.

Semmel tallied his two goals just 1:28 apart, extending Susquehanna's lead to 4-1 before David Trank closed out the scoring with an unassisted goal at 84:56.