WASHINGTON – The Gallaudet University men's soccer team turned in its best defensive effort of the season Wednesday evening as the Bison played with spirit and determination in a tough, physical contest against Lancaster Bible College at Hotchkiss Field. Gallaudet held the Chargers scoreless for nearly 53 minutes before Lancaster Bible broke through in the second half and eventually pulled away for a 6-0 United East Conference victory.
Gallaudet (0-10, 0-4 United East) entered halftime tied 0-0 with Lancaster Bible (4-7-1, 2-1 United East), marking the first time since Oct. 16, 2024, against Penn St.-Brandywine that the Bison played a scoreless opening half. The Chargers fired 17 shots in the first half but could not break through the determined Bison defense.
Gallaudet's defensive effort featured contributions from senior
Joe Bryan (Liberty, Mo.), first year
Bruce Brewer Jr. (Santa Fe, N.M.), junior
Eloi Straub (St. Paul, Minn.), junior
Hawkins Morgan (Whitesboro, Texas) and first year
Donovan Schneck (Columbus, Ohio), who worked together to frustrate the Lancaster Bible attack. In the 39th minute, first-year midfielder
Eli Matamoros (Richmond, Va.) provided a key defensive stop when he positioned himself near the goal line and kicked away a shot by sophomore forward Taylor Gehman for a team save that preserved the scoreless tie.
Sophomore goalie
John McCabe (Norwalk, Conn.) added another milestone to his young career as he surpassed 250 career saves in just his second season. McCabe entered Wednesday's contest with 247 career stops and recorded his 250th with his third save of the game. He finished with 11 saves to increase his career total to 258.
Lancaster Bible finally broke through in the 53rd minute when junior defender Joel Walker scored off an assist from freshman midfielder Ethan Buss. The goal came on the Chargers' 21st shot of the game after Gallaudet had weathered 17 first-half shots and three more attempts to begin the second half. The Bison continued to battle and kept the deficit at one goal until the 76th minute, when Lancaster Bible scored three times in a span of 86 seconds to take a 4-0 lead.
LBC utilized 11 substitutes throughout the contest to keep fresh legs on the field. Freshman forward Gabe Bormolini came off the bench to record a hat trick with three goals over the final 14 minutes, while Gehman finished with two goals and an assist. The Chargers held an advantage in shots (40-0), shots on goal (18-0) and corner kicks (19-1).
BISON TRACKS
- McCabe has recorded 11 or more saves in seven of his eight games this season, including 11 saves in each of the past two contests.
- GU's sophomore goalie has reached double figures in saves in 15 of his 22 career appearances.
- McCabe leads all NCAA Division I, II and III goalkeepers with 123 total saves through eight games this season.
- Gallaudet last held an opponent scoreless in the first half on Sept. 27, 2025, when the Bison led Penn St.-Brandywine, 1-0, at halftime before securing a 2-1 victory.
- Gallaudet's lone victory over Lancaster Bible since 2006 came on Oct. 17, 2017, when the Bison scored in the 75th minute to secure a 1-0 win at Hotchkiss Field.
UP NEXT
Gallaudet gets a break from competition this weekend before traveling to St. Mary's College of Maryland (5-7, 2-2 United East) on Tuesday, Oct. 13, for a 5 p.m. conference game against the Seahawks.
