Flash Points:

• Jack Webber (Bernville, Pa./Tulpehocken) scored once in each half to lead the offense
• Pedro Neto (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Instituto Nossa Senhora Da Gloria) had two assists in the victory
• SFU hands LIU first conference loss since 2014

LORETTO, PA- Jack Webber (Bernville, Pa./Tulpehocken) scored off a pair of set pieces and Marcus Rojas (Fremont, Calif./Bellarmine College Preparatory) and the SFU defense bottled up the LIU Brooklyn offense in a pivotal 3-0 win on Sunday afternoon at the Stokes SoccerPlex. 

The victory moves SFU to 2-1 in NEC play and gives the Blackbirds their first NEC loss since the 2014 season when SFU beat them 1-0 in the NEC tournament. LIU now sits at 2-1-1 in the NEC. 

The first half was mostly a feeling out period between the two teams, a rematch of last year's NEC title game. The first true scoring opportunity for either team came in the 20th minute when a pair of SFU shots were blocked down and Brendan McGhee (Pickering, Ontario, Canada/St. Mary's Catholic)'s shot off the second rebound sailed just wide of the goal. LIU's best opportunity of the match came just minutes later as Giuseppe Barone put a cross on to the foot of Naeem Charles who deflected it just wide of the far post. The Flash continued to get good pressure on the LIU defense, despite the lack of shots. Brendan McGhee (Pickering, Ontario, Canada/St. Mary's Catholic) had a pair of strong runs to goal including one that drew a yellow card on Brian Paredes in the 37th minute. Paredes made a late play on the ball, knocking McGhee down just outside of the goal box. On the ensuing free kick, Francis de Vries (Christchurch, New Zealand/Cashmere) hammered the ball into the LIU defending wall but the rebound found Jack Webber (Bernville, Pa./Tulpehocken) who found space in traffic to put it by keeper Logan Keys and into the low left corner for the match's first goal. It would be 1-0 SFU at the half. 

Mario Mastrangelo (Venetia, Pa/Peters Township) nearly made it 2-0 early in the second half as he caught Keys off his line and beat the keeper to the loose ball. The sophomore then chipped a shot towards the empty net that struck the bottom of the crossbar and stayed in play. LIU cleared the ball out of danger only to have Pedro Neto (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Instituto Nossa Senhora Da Gloria) settle the ball in the middle of the field. The junior then sprung Mastrangelo who split a pair of defenders and broke in alone on Keys, he didn't miss the second time around and put the shot into the low left corner to make it 2-0. Less than two minutes later, Colin Wurst nearly made it 3-0, his shot from 25 yards out forced Keys to make a diving save and set up a corner kick. Stefan Sjekloca (Belgrade, Serbia/Fryeburg Academy) placed the ball near the far post where Neto headed it on a bounce to Webber who headed into the goal for his second tally of the match. 

With a 3-0 lead, the SFU defense went to work, they stymied the high-octane LIU offense that came into the match with the top four point scorers in the NEC. Rojas made a pair of saves in the 65th and 66th minute but wasn't tested very often on Sunday afternoon. The Flash defense kept the LIU attackers in front of them and never let the Blackbirds get into a rhythm offensively. SFU was able to counter on a couple of occasions and nearly added a fourth goal on a pair of occasions. Sjekloca just missed wide on a deflection off a Tulio Canineu (Corbin, Ky/Corbin) cross and Anthony Lozupone (Rockville, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel) was denied on a point blank shot by a sprawling Logan Keys in the 84th minute. It was the last real scoring opportunity for either team on Sunday afternoon. 

SFU out shot LIU 14-9 overall and 5-3 in shots on goal, LIU held a 3-1 advantage on corner kicks. SFU heads on the road next weekend for their only two-match road swing of the season. The Flash will play Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday night and Bryant on Sunday. Match time between the Red Flash and the Knights is set for Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in Teaneck, New Jersey.