PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Juniata men's soccer continued its strong opening to 2022 with a pair of first-half goals to secure a 2-1 win over the Chatham Cougars on Tuesday night. 

Juniata opened the first half with five shots in the first 15 minutes before Emmet Young opened the scoring in the 16th minute. Gavin Rauhut crossed a ball into the box, with Joseph Cianfichi flicking the ball to Young on his left for the assist. The Eagles persisted in their efforts with a goal off a corner kick in the 21st minute. Blake Cassel pounced on a loose ball in front of the goal to double the Juniata advantage. The only shot on target in the first half for Chatham came via a 35th-minute goal to get within one heading into halftime.  

Juniata continued its consistent chance creation to start the second half, as the Eagles fired six shots in the first 20 minutes. Chatham put another shot on in the 61st minute that was blocked by defenders. Juniata continued its assault with four shots between the 65th and 75th minute, but they were unable to cushion the lead. The final moments saw a push at goal from each side. The Eagles earned two corners and had one shot on target between the 83rd and 84th minutes, but they could not add to their lead. Chatham missed wide in the 86th minute before their last shot in the 89th minute was saved by Arun Subramanian to end the match at 2-1.

The Eagles leave Pittsburgh with a 4-2 record through their first six games, improving on their 2-3-1 opening to the 2021 season.  

Juniata ended the match with 22 total shots that included 16 on target, while the Eagles' defense kept goalkeeper Subramanian well protected by allowing only five shots and two shots on target across the 90. 

Cianfichi had five shots that included four on target in the game to lead Juniata in these categories. Gavin Rauhut, Victor Vandenbroek, and Malvin Madzimbamuto each had three shots in the match.  

Juniata will look to maintain their strong form on Saturday, September 17, as they host the King's College Monarchs. Juniata enters as the most recent victor of the match with a 2-0 win in Wilkes-Barre last fall.