Men’s soccer post first win of the 2019 season

Going scoreless through the first three matches of the season, Central Penn knew its luck had to eventually change. And it did last Friday at home against Williamson Trade, as freshmen Derek Pine and Soufiane Issoufou––both making their collegiate debuts––helped ignite the once-dormant offense.

At the 12-minute mark, Pine scored the first goal of the season for the Knights, but the team wasn’t finished there. Fifteen minutes later, Issoufou made a beautiful run up the right flank beating the defender before crossing the ball to a wide-open Kyle Vargas for the goal.

Williamson Trade grabbed its first score eight minutes later, as the Knights headed into the halftime, holding a 2–1 advantage.

Central Penn Coach Dustin Wise had nothing but praise for the impressive debut of the two freshmen: “Soufi and Pine both made immediate impacts––it was the spark that we needed.”

In the second half, Issoufou added two goals to his tally and the defense held strong, leading the Knights to a 4-2 victory over Williamson Trade. This was only the second time in the program’s history that Central Penn had come out on the winning side against its long-time rival. In addition, it was Coach Wise’s first collegiate victory.

Next up, the Knights (1-2-1) will host Penn State Beaver today at 3 p.m. at Adams Ricci Field. The Knightly News team will be broadcasting the game on its YouTube channel.

Central Penn will then cap off the week with a trip to Christendom on Saturday. Start time is 3 p.m.