MEN’S SOCCER KNOCKS OFF IN-STATE RIVAL LANCERS IN SENIOR DAY MATCH, WINS SECOND-STRAIGHT
MITCHELL, S.D. – Looking to continue its momentum, the Dakota Wesleyan University men’s soccer program blanked in-state rival Mount Marty University by a score of 2-0 in Great Plains Athletic Conference play on Saturday from the Pepsi-Cola Soccer Complex in Mitchell, S.D.
MITCHELL, S.D. – Looking to continue its momentum, the Dakota Wesleyan University men's soccer program blanked in-state rival Mount Marty University by a score of 2-0 in Great Plains Athletic Conference play on Saturday from the Pepsi-Cola Soccer Complex in Mitchell, S.D.
Following a corner kick by Dakota Wesleyan senior Ronaldo Acosta (Half Moon Bay, Calif.) in the 10th minute, both offenses struggled to kick start any momentum in the early going.
Rafael Calderon (Talca, Chile) and Lucas Paixao (Sao Paulo, Brazil) attempted shots near the 19th minute, though both attempts yielded no score and the match remained knotted at 0-0.
Mount Marty followed with a pair of opportunities on goal towards the end of the first period before a late corner kick and shot on goal by Zarko Sinha (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Benjamin Lazcano (Concepcion, Chile), respectively. Despite multiple chances to score by both the Tigers ( 4-11-0, 3-5-0 GPAC ) and Lancers ( 5-6-1, 3-5-0 GPAC), the score remained deadlocked 0-0 at halftime.
The Mount Marty offensive attack opened the second period with a sense of momentum following a pair of corner kicks, however, junior Tiger goalkeeper Hunter Birozy (Norco, Calif.) and the defensive unit held strong.
In the 70th minute, the Blue and Gray broke through for the first goal of the match capitalizing on an own-goal situation and garnered a 1-0 lead.
While the DWU defense continued the shutout performance, Calderon scored the game-sealing goal in the 89th minute denying any chance for a comeback by the Lancers. Riding the junior left back's seventh goal of the season. Dakota Wesleyan secured the 2-0 win on senior day.
Birozy tallied four saves on four shots on goal while Calderon and Acosta combined for six shots. DWU posted 14 shots in the match along with a trio of corner kicks.
Dakota Wesleyan returns to the pitch next versus conference-foe Midland University at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday form the Pepsi-Cola Soccer Complex in Mitchell, S.D. Saturday's match will be the final regular-season home match for head coach Brady Van Holland and the Tigers.
