Tartans Open Season with 3-1 Victory

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – Three second half goals propelled the Carnegie Mellon University men's soccer team to a 3-1 victory in the season opener over visiting Hobart College on Friday, August 31 during the Double Tree Invitational. The Tartans start the season 1-0 as the Statesmen start 0-1.

Hobart went ahead in the game 1-0 when a player was fouled at the edge of the 18-yard box forcing a penalty kick in the 21st minute. Marco Ronning slotted the shot past Tartan keeper Christopher Madden (Reisterstown, Md./Calvert Hall) to the lower left post.

A free kick by senior Ben Bryant (Toledo, Ohio/ottawa Hills) in the 23rd minute was punched away by Statesmen keeper Mike Lucas, before a Tartan could get a head on it, awarding a corner kick to the home squad. Junior Scott Gerfen (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) sent the corner kick to the far post where senior Moni Sallam (Clarksville, Md./River Hill) met it for a header. Lucas was able to save the shot preventing the Tartans from equalizing.

The Tartans had a number of threatening free kick opportunities throughout the half but were unable to get a shot off while four corner kicks by the Tartans saw header shots go wide or high.

Ten minutes into the second period, junior Matt Sarett (Huntersville, N.C./Cannon) tied the game with a low left footed shot to the far corner. Sarett took a touch around a defender after receiving a pass from junior Max Tassano (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Lower Merion).

With his back to goal, a volley attempt by Sallam was saved by Lucas in the 68th minute. Sallam attempted the side volley after a throw in by sophomore Jakob Rohwer (Southborough, Mass./Phillips Academy Andover) bounced through the box.

Statesmen defender Kaeghan Kelly sent a free kick from beyond half field to goal but Madden was there to secure the shot and retain possession in the 72nd minute.

In the 78th minute, Bryant fired a free kick from 25 yards out towards the goal where Lucas had to push it wide for the save. The ensuing corner kick led to the Tartans 2-1 advantage and eventual game-winning score.

Bryant lasered the corner kick across the six-yard box where senior Alex Abedian (Columbus, Ind./Columbus North) met it through traffic for the score.

Six minutes later, Tassano found the mark when he received a pass with his back to goal, settled, turned and riffled a shot to the corner from the center of the box for the 3-1 score.

"We played a solid first half but just couldn't find the goal," head coach Arron Lujan said. "We came out even stronger in the second and scored three great goals to get the win."

The Tartans will continue action in the Double Tree Invitational on Saturday, September 1 against #7 Stevens Institute of Technology who won 3-1 over Baldwin Wallace in game one of the tournament.