Raiders pull away from Tigers in second half

MITCHELL, S.D. – Despite being scoreless at halftime, the Dakota Wesleyan University men's soccer team was unable to record a goal as Northwestern College tallied a pair of second-half goals to down DWU in Great Plains Athletic Conference action on Thursday at the Pepsi-Cola Soccer Complex.

 The Tigers (2-4, 1-3 GPAC) opened the game on the offensive end as they reeled off three shots and two corner kicks in the opening five minutes of the match.

 However, the Raiders (3-2, 1-2 GPAC) responded with a flurry of shot attempts themselves as they notched two shots and three corner kicks over the following 10 minutes. Matthew Campbell (Duluth, Minn.) and the DWU defense held strong to keep the score line even through the opening minutes.

 In the closing moments of the first half, Grant Pierce (Draper, Utah) and Isaias Pio (Santa Cruz, Calif.) each launched a shot on goal, but both were saved. The score remained tied 0-0 at halftime as both teams looked to regroup heading into the final 45 minutes.

 The Raiders came out quickly in the second half, recording a pair of shots in the first two minutes. The third shot of the half for NWC found the back of the net to record the first goal of the game.

 The Raiders kept the pressure on as they added three shots and three corner kicks over the next six minutes. In the 73^rd minute, NWC doubled its lead with another goal to take a 2-0 advantage over DWU with just 17 minutes to play.

 The Tigers were able to send two shots towards the NWC goal in the closing moments, but neither went past the goalie as they dropped the home contest.

 Pio recorded three shots and three shots on goal, as Joel Sanchez (Salinas, Calif.) added two shots on goal. Campbell notched eight saves in the net for DWU. The Tigers were outshot in the contest, 22-10.

 DWU returns to the pitch against fellow GPAC foe, Doane University at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Pepsi-Cola Soccer Complex.