Bakary Coulibaly's header shot was the Firebirds only shot on goal in a tough loss at Millersville.
Bakary Coulibaly's header shot was the Firebirds only shot on goal in a tough loss at Millersville.

Marauders Pounce Early; Defeat District of Columbia Men’s Soccer 5-0

MILLERSVILLE, PA – The Millersville University Marauders scored two early goals in the first half and tacked on three more in the closing frame while the University of the District of Columbia managed just six shots in a 5-0 shutout loss.

The Firebirds, who have now lost three straight games, are now at .500 for the season with a record of 3-3-1. Millersville, an NCAA Tournament Final Four team from a year ago, improved to 3-2 overall.

Millersville first got on the board on an own goal at the 7:24 mark when the ball went off a Firebird defender and into the net. The Marauders added a second goal a little over nine minutes later when Jaime Vasquez punched in a rebound after a shot by Andrew Dukes. The hosts outshot District of Columbia 8-1 in the first half and took a 2-0 lead into intermission.

District of Columbia could not generate much offense (only one shot on goal), but the Firebirds did manage to keep Millersville from scoring for the first 30 minutes of the second half as the score remained 2-0. However, the Marauders poured it on from that point on, out-shooting the Firebirds 11-5 for the period and tallying three more goals in the final 15:30 for the lopsided win. The first of those three goals was Vasquez's second of the game – once again off of a saved shot. The next two were both by William Taylor in the 83rd and 88th minutes, respectively.

The Firebirds will look to end their three-game losing skid as they enter back into East Coast Conference play on Saturday, September 22nd, hosting University of Bridgeport at 3 p.m.