With a little more than three minutes left in the game, Luke Finkielstein ’26 broke open a scoreless tie Saturday, heading in the winning goal in Dickinson’s conference home opener vs Ursinus College. 

Dickinson came into the game having suffered a difficult, frustrating loss to non-conference opponent Lehigh Valley. Andrew McSlarrow ’23, Dickinson’s captain and starting center back got a red card in that game and was suspended for the Ursinus clash.

Coach Jorge Chapoy replaced McSlarrow with Finkielstein, who had played a defensive midfield role for the Red Devils throughout the season. Chapoy gave the first-year a new role, new responsibilities and new instructions. He said, “We have a good roster that allows flexibility. Being adaptable is everything. It is important that the guys can understand a couple formations in case we need to switch to a more direct style of play. Guys have to be technical enough and adjustable to deal with it.”

Finkielstein proved his flexibility and quality in this match. He didn’t miss a step all game at a position where he had not started previously this year. 

The match was a tight affair. Neither side could get a clear chance on goal in the first half. The second half continued in the same vein as highly physical defense on both sides kept the ball away from either goal. However, due to the competitive nature of the game, the foul numbers continued to pile up. 

With around seven minutes to go, the Dickinson bench started getting very animated and loud, doing their best to energize their teammates in the tight game. The large crowd of parents, alumni, and students at Dickinson Park followed suit and also began to raise the volume. The players were clearly reinvigorated and played the last minutes of the game with new energy. 

Soon after, Dickinson won another free kick. Sophomore Chris Hackley ’25 played in a great ball that Ethan Jarden ’26 got his head on. The ball seemed destined for the back of the net, but Ursinus keeper Kirk Ransome made a fantastic save to keep the ball out. However, after the following corner was tipped out by Ursinus, left-footed Geoffrey Ogenrwot ’25 stepped up to take an in-swinging corner. 

The Red Devils had missed Ogenrwot, who had been out the previous few games with a knee injury. With a little over three minutes on the clock, he played in a perfect cross and Finkielstein utilized his height and leaping ability to get to the ball and strongly head it into the back of the net. The crowd erupted. Dickinson’s bench stormed onto the field in celebration.

Dickinson held on and beat Ursinus to stay undefeated in conference play.