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RADNOR, Pa. – In front of a standing-room-only crowd, the Cabrini men's soccer team returned to the win column, topping backyard-rival Eastern University, 2-1, Saturday night at Edith Robb Dixon Field. The victory was the first for the Cavaliers against the Eagles since the 2006 season.
Junior forward King Saah provided the game's eventual decisive tally at the 55:00 mark. King found himself on the other end of a bouncing pass from senior midfielder Evan Hanauer before beating Eastern goalkeeper Jon Crowder for his fourth goal of the season.
The Cavaliers owned a 1-0 lead at the intermission following senior Brian Raffle's team-best sixth goal of the year in the 36th minute. Junior back Troy Allen's long free kick into the box was redirected to Raffle off senior midfielder Andrew Jacobs' head.
Although in his final season of eligibility, Raffle is in his first with the Blue & White after three seasons as a member of the Eastern men's soccer program. Raffle totaled 45 career points with the Eagles, scoring 20 goals and adding five assists in 44 games played.
Cabrini kept the visitors off the scoreboard for more than 83 minutes until Ben Faro converted a crossing pass from Josh Martin with just over six minutes remaining, pulling the Eagles to within one goal.
Eastern had one of its best scoring chances of the game just minutes following. Terry Fry found himself on the doorstep, but his attempt was pushed away by Cavaliers senior goalkeeper Bryan Johnson.
Johnson tallied six saves in the win. Crowder made two stops for the Eagles.
The up-and-down pace of the match certainly did not lack any aggressive play. The Blue & White was whistled for 17 fouls, while the Eagles committed 14 infractions.
Tonight's contest pitted two of the country's top teams from the Mid-Atlantic region. In the latest rankings released September 15, Eastern held the No. 6 spot with two other teams, while Cabrini was tied for the 10th billing by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
Cabrini (6-2-0) remains at home for one more match before starting the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) portion of its schedule. The Cavaliers welcome Franklin & Marshall College, ranked No. 9 in the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Region, to Edith Robb Dixon Field Wednesday, September 23 at 6:30 p.m.
