Wildcats Blank St. Joe’s, 3-0

Wednesday, October 21

Davidson, N.C.

7:00 p.m.

Davidson College Athletics

5-6-3 (2-3-0 A-10)

Saint Joseph's

3-10-2 (1-3-1 A-10)

Team	1	2	Final F
Saint Joseph's	0	0	0
Davidson	2	1	3

Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com

10/21/2015 9:14:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Highlights | Pacifici's Postgame Interview | DavidsonPhotos.com

DAVIDSON, N.C. – In addition to pair of assists from Maxi Pragnell, Davidson recorded its first shutout of the season with a 3-0 victory over Saint Joseph's in Atlantic 10 men's soccer action Wednesday evening at Alumni Stadium.

The win was the second straight for the Wildcats, who improve to 5-6-3 overall and 2-3-0 in the league, while the Hawks fall to 3-10-2 and 1-3-1.

Davidson wasted little time getting on the board as Valeriy Sviderskiy scored just over four minutes into the match. The senior's 21st career goal came off a rebound following a long throw into the box.

Prior to intermission, Alec Rotunda put the 'Cats up 2-0 when he flicked in a perfectly placed header played back into the box by Hunter Howard after a corner. Like Sviderskiy, it was Rotunda's fourth strike of the campaign.

Pragnell, who was credited the assist on Davidson's first goal, also set Matt Reinikka's score in the 48th minute that put the game out of reach.

Davidson finished with an 18-14 margin in shots and 7-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Matt Pacifici stopped a game-high four shots for the Wildcats en route to his first clean sheet of the season. Along with the senior keeper, Davidson defenders Cort Coxhead, Nathan Marder and Reinikka played the entire 90 minutes.

Up Next
Davidson will travel to Saint Louis this weekend for an 8 p.m. (CT) contest on Saturday.

Postgame Comments
Head Coach Matt Spear

I am very happy for the guys, and it was a well-earned win. We have had so many tight matches, that it was rewarding to get a more confident score line.

A big advantage of pulling away is that several guys that have logged so many minutes this season – like Shane Macnamara, Christian Fechter, Hunter Howard, and Tanner Carlson – were not needed to go the full 90. Plus it's a huge luxury that 19 guys played, as that match action rewards others that have been so faithfully training.

I am really happy for Val to get the game-winner. It was goal-scorer's goal as he was in the right place at the right time and pounced on the opportunity and took it well. And it was a huge bonus it was scored so early as it immediately tilted the game in our favor.

Alec continues to be a crucial spark off the bench, and he is truly embracing the role. He showed a lot of composure on his goal, and the timing was ideal to send us in to half up 2-0.

A double bonus for Matt Reinikka in that he scored the goal that put the game on ice, and he's a key center back to help us earn a shutout.

The guys have stuck together and kept a positive, growth mindset so its super gratifying to see two straight wins string together. We want to build off tonight and continue to accelerate because although we are starting to show what we are capable of, we know we still have more in us.