MITCHELL, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University men's soccer team kicked off the 2015 season with a thrilling 2-1 win over Concordia College-Moorhead Tuesday on "Pack the Pitch" night at the Pepsi-Cola Soccer Complex in Mitchell, S.D.
The Tigers and Cobbers battled in the middle of the field for the first 70 minutes of the game, as both teams failed to apply sustained pressure on offense. The tide shifted in the direction of DWU late, with a pair of goals coming in quick order. The Cobbers tallied a late goal to make the large crowd nervous late, but the Tiger defense stood tall and held on for the 2-1 win.
The first goal came in the 73rd minute off the foot of freshman Gilmar "Yoshi" Kogiso Vada (Cuernavaca, Mexico), who took the ball up the sideline and into the box. After a couple of slick moves, Yoshi deposited the ball in the far corner to lift the lid on the DWU (1-0) scoring column this season.
The crowd barely had time to celebrate when freshman Daniel Clas (Buenos Aires, Argentina) hit a free kick from outside the 18-yard box past the Cobbers' goalkeeper for his first career goal to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
"We had some new guys really step and make their mark on this team early in the year," seventh-year DWU Head Coach Jeremy Tosaya said. "It was great to see them make an impact. Excited to see where this team will be when we open the GPAC."
CCM (0-1), an NCAA Division III program, cut the DWU lead in half with a goal from Dami Adegunle in the 81st minute, giving the final moments of the game a tense feeling. The Tigers repelled several quality chances from the Cobbers in the final minutes to secure the win.
The Cobbers outshot the Tigers 12-11, while both teams had six shots on net. Tiger senior goalkeeper Alex Nelson (Sioux Falls, S.D.) had four saves in the game for his first win of the season. Clas led the Tigers with four shots, while Yoshi added three.
The Tigers continue nonconference play with two games in Dubuque, Iowa this weekend. DWU takes on Mount Mercy College at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Clarke University at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.
