ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. – Junior forward
Alex Ochman (Rockville, Md./T.S. Wootton) and first-year midfielder
Braden Kindred (Olney, Md./Sherwood) each tallied a goal and an assist in leading the St. Mary's College of Maryland men's soccer team to a five-goal explosion Saturday afternoon (Oct. 28). Fourth-seeded St. Mary's College (9-6-3) posted a 5-1 victory over fifth-seeded Penn College (7-7-3) in the first round of the United East Conference Volt Division Men's Soccer Championship Tournament.
St. Mary's now has the opportunity to avenge its 2-0 regular-season finale loss (Oct. 25) when the Seahawks take on top-seeded Penn State Abington (9-4-4) in the semifinals on Monday, Oct. 30 at 2 p.m.
How It Happened
- The bulk of the damage was done in the first half as St. Mary's staked a 4-0 halftime lead.
- Sophomore midfielder Jack Nelson (Ellicott City, Md./River Hill) started the scoring at 5:05 as Nelson put an Ochman pass top shelf for his fourth of the season.
- Ochman then notched a goal of his own five minutes when he converted a penalty kick to double the Seahawk lead. He is now 2-for-2 on penalty kicks.
- The third goal came off Kindred's right foot as he received a pass from senior forward Jason Caro (Lanham, Md./Good Counsel) and then dribbled past three Penn College defenders before burying the ball into the lower left corner at 23:34.
- St. Mary's headed into the break with a four-goal cushion after junior forward Elliot Hodges (Rockville, Md./Avalon) crossed the ball from the near post and first-year forward Franco Reyes (Silver Spring, Md./Montgomery Blair) slid in, poking the ball past Cole Catherman at 42:52.
- Fifth-year captain Zack Glime (Annapolis, Md./Key) grew the host lead to 5-0 less than four minutes into the second half when Glime one-timed a cross from Kindred.
- Penn College avoided the shutout at 69:07 when Cooper Smith converted the game's second PK.
Inside the Box Score
- The Seahawks posted a 23-8 (12-4 on goal) shot advantage while Penn College edged the hosts, 6-5, in corner kicks.
St. Mary's College Game Notes
- Senior captain Matthew Kopsidas (Rockville, Md./T.S. Wootton) made three saves in the first 76 minutes of the game before first-year Zack Reed (Leonardtown, Md./Leonardtown) came in for the final 14 minutes.
- Ochman's one-goal, one-assist performance gave him a season-best three points.
- St. Mary's remains perfect against the Wildcats with a 4-0 record all-time.
Penn College Game Notes
- Eight different Wildcats tallied a shot while Catherman came up with six stops in 75 minutes.
- Penn College ends its 2023 campaign with two straight losses.
Up Next for the Seahawks
- Oct. 30 at Penn State Abington (9-4-4) – Abington, Pa. – 2 p.m.
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