The UW Oshkosh men’s soccer team won its eighth consecutive game when they defeated St. Norbert College 3-0 on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Senior defender Jonathon Stanley headed the first goal of the match into the net in the 17th minute off of a corner kick. The six-yard shot was assisted by senior forward Malcom Jeffris. 14 minutes later, sophomore forward Nick Gonzales tapped the ball into the Knights’ net just three yards out off an assist from senior forward Trent Allison. The final goal came in the 87th minute from sophomore defender Alec Pasick. It was an 18-yard kick that went from right to left. Junior midfielder Jacob Hernandez had the assist. The Titans outshot the Knights 16-6. UWO senior goalkeeper Sam Gabrilska and junior Kevin Schenk combined for two saves in the net, while St. Norbert sophomore goalkeeper Tim Fox made six saves in goal. On Sunday, Sept. 27th, the Titans beat North Central College (Ill.) in a thrilling double-overtime victory at home. Senior midfielder Michael Dugan tallied the first goal of the game in the 31st minute off an assist from Allison. It was a 10-yard shot that slipped by Cardinals’ junior goalkeeper Justin De Boer. “The goal came off a great run by Trent,” Dugan said. “When the keeper came out on him, he laid the ball off to me and I placed it perfectly into the back of the net.” However, UWO was not able to keep their early lead. Gabrilska allowed his fourth point of the season on an 88th minute goal that was shot by North Central College’s junior forward John Kissel. It was a 10-yard kick from the center of the field. After a scoreless first-overtime, Jeffris tucked away the game-winning goal in the 105th minute on a six-yard shot from the center of the field. It was assisted by Gonzales and Dugan. “It felt great scoring on Sunday,” said Jeffris. “The build-up started from our goalie’s feet and after a couple more passes, Dugan was able to get in behind the defenders on the left side for a cross. All I had to do was get on the end of it. I’d say it was special because we had just beat a really good North Park team so it would’ve been a bit of a let-down to drop the next game.” Gabrilska made one save in goal for the Titans, while the Cardinals’ goalkeeper De Boer made eight. Oshkosh outshot North Central 23-7. On Friday, Sept. 25th, the Titans broke their 749 minute no-goals-allowed streak in a 2-1 victory against North Park University in Illinois. Dugan scored the first goal of the match in the 29th minute off of a rebound by the Vikings. The next the goal was tallied by sophomore forward Javier Simon in the 81st minute when the Titans earned a penalty kick. “At the time of the goal we were already up by one, so I didn’t expect it to be the game winner,” said Simon. “But it’s always a good feeling to hit the back of the net. Big credit to Michael Dugan for earning the penalty kick in the first place, though.” However, North Park University started to make a comeback in the 86th minute of the game when junior midfielder Pedram Tahmi-Masoleh scored on a shot that hit the bottom-left corner of the goal. “It never feels good to let in a goal, especially in my position,” Gabrilska said. “No matter what happens over the course of a game, you can never count your opponent out of a match. Success at this level requires focus for all 90 minutes of play.” The Titans were able to hold their lead, though, with help from Gabrilska who made three saves during the match. Vikings’ junior goalkeeper Chris Tomuta had seven saves in goal. UWO outshot their opponent 18-11. Although UWO is disappointed that they let in a goal against North Park and snapped their streak, the players are keeping their heads up and remembering that the outcome of the game is what matters most, Jeffris said. “Not letting a goal in is clearly something we take a lot of pride in, but it certainly wasn’t that upsetting considering we got out of the North Park game with a win,” Jeffris said. “It was probably the most intense atmosphere I’ve ever played in while at Oshkosh. Our backs and goalie played really well. If we stay concentrated on the little things I’m sure we’ll have another streak like the last.” The Titans, who are now 9-1-1 overall, will host Wheaton College (Ill.) on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 7:00. p.m.
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Men’s soccer improves to 9-1-1
October 1, 2015
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