CUA downs Washington College 2-0 to even record

WASHINGTON – The Cardinals picked up a 2-0 win over Washington College on Wednesday afternoon as CUA improved its record to 5-5-1.  Mike Brennan scored both goals for the Cardinals as he raised his season total to four.

CUA controlled the action for the majority of the match, outshooting the Shoremen 26-4 and holding an 8-0 advantage in corner kicks.  Thomas O'Leary earned his second victory of the season in goal for the Cardinals as he stopped three shots, while Washington College goalkeeper Chris Phipps sent back seven shots.

"It feels good to get a win," CUA head coach Travis Beauchamp said following the match.  "We had a lot of opportunities today and were able to grind it out in the second half and eventually take advantage of those chances."

He continued, "I thought their (Washington College) goalie did a great job today.  He deserves credit for the way he played."

CUA set the tone right from the start as Ian Smith took a shot just 15 seconds into the match.  Mike DiMarco tried his luck at the 5:02 mark, but his shot went wide. 

The Cardinals were constantly on Washington College's side of the field in the opening 45 minutes, unleashing 12 shots in all.  DiMarco's attempt 17:11 in was sent back by Phipps, and Kevin Duffy and Nick Sylvester's shots several minutes later went wide.

Tim Brady's shot at the 35:59 mark was stopped by Phipps as was Matt Hofrichter's with less than three minutes remaining in the half.  That proved to be the final shot of the opening half as the teams headed to halftime tied at zero.

As the second half began, CUA continued to keep the pressure on, taking three shots in the first few minutes of action.  At the 59:03 mark Brennan struck for the first goal of the day as he stole a pass in front of the net and scored for a 1-0 CUA lead.

The Cardinals kept looking to increase their lead with shots from Sylvester, Brian Maher and Kevin Romano in the next five minutes.  Hal Cogan's shot at the 75:04 mark was stopped by Phipps, while DiMarco and Hofrichter had their attempts blocked soon after.

CUA's aggressiveness eventually paid off as Brennan took a feed from Sylvester with under two minutes to play and sealed the win for the Cardinals with his second goal of the day.

"It feels good to get goals, especially with the way we've been going," Beauchamp said after the Cardinals had scored only three goals in their previous four matches.  "The thing for us is to keep it going and remain hungry on the offensive end."

CUA will return to action on Saturday when the Cardinals travel to Juniata for a Landmark Conference match.  Start time is scheduled for 3:30.  "This is a big game for us Saturday," Beauchamp said.  "It's all about the conference now.  These games are all very important, and it's crucial that we take advantage of the opportunities we have."

He added, "We want to finish better and sharpen up our possession.  Our defense has been playing well of late, so we're looking to keep that going and clean up a few things on the other end."