LATROBE, Pa. (Sept. 24) – The Saint Vincent men's soccer team jumped out to an early lead and then held off a late rally to defeat Washington & Jefferson, 3-2, in a Presidents' Athletic Conference match at UPMC Field.

The Bearcats (5-3-1, 1-0-1) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening minute of the second half, before the Presidents (4-4, 1-1 PAC) charged back to make it a one-goal game with 7 minutes remaining. The Saint Vincent defense would then hold strong over the closing minutes to preserve the win, SVC's first over W&J since the 2011 campaign.
 
Less than four minutes into play, Eduardo Richa gave the Bearcats a 1-0 lead after bursting through the defense for a breakaway goal.
 
The Bearcats added onto the lead just three minutes later, when Jose Hurtado gathered a perfect through ball from Richa in traffic and beat the W&J keeper from up close to make it 2-0.
 
After Saint Vincent's hot start, the play would even out over the remainder of the half, with each team receiving scoring chances but coming up empty. Shots were even at 7-7 over the final 35 minutes of the half, with SVC keeper Kameron Rock making three saves to keep the Presidents off the board at the intermission.
Just 38 seconds into the second half, the Bearcats added onto their lead. Following the half's opening kick, David Rahaman sent a cross-field pass toward the box, where Hurtado one-touched it into the net for his second goal of the game – and third in two games – to open up a 3-0 lead.
 
With just over 25 minutes left in regulation, the Presidents scored their first goal of the game, a Zach Bowser strike assisted by Jacob Lee, and momentum would stay with W&J, as a Bearcat defender was sent off with a red card, forcing his squad to play a man down for the remainder of the match.
 
With the man advantage, the Presidents would control possession over the final 24 minutes, making it a one-score game after Joseph McKinley headed home a free kick with 7:16 left in regulation. W&J would continue to press over the final stages of the game, but the SVC defense would limit them to just two off-target shots down the stretch to preserve the one-goal win.
 
W&J owned a 20-15 edge in shots for the game, including a 13-5 margin over the second half. After stopping three shots in the second frame, Rock finished with a total of six saves.
 
Rahaman led the Bearcats with four shots, with Richa and Hurtado taking three attempts each.
 
The Bearcats will be back in action on Wednesday, Sept. 28, playing host to PAC foe Waynesburg at 4 p.m. at UPMC Field.