SPRINGFIELD, Ill.—The William Woods University men's soccer team will look to get back to its winning ways on Saturday afternoon, as the Owls travel to Benedictine University at Springfield. Kick-off will start at 3 p.m.
The Owls (8-2-2; 3-2-1 AMC), are coming off a tough 2-1 loss against Hannibal-LaGrange on Thursday afternoon.
The team dominated the first 45:00 minutes of play, as they outshot the Trojans in the first frame, 6-1. WWU was able to break the 0-0 tie at the 13:38 mark, as from just outside the 18 yard box, senior
Sebastian Burich blasted his shot into the top left corner of the net, giving WWU an early 1-0 lead.
The defense for WWU was just as impressive in the first half, as Hannibal-LaGrange didn't record its first shot until the 34
th minute from Nathan Sapp and his attempt was saved by freshman goaltender
Conor Cable.
In the second half, the game evened out more, as both teams' totaled five shots a piece, while the pace and physicality picked up even more.
In the 51
st minute, a pass from midfield off the foot of Manuel Saez found Joao Junqueira, who was able to dribble inside the WWU box and score past Cable, tying the game up 1-1.
Then, just five minutes later, after a foul was called on WWU, the Trojans were awarded a free kick 30 yards out and Nil Lamana kick into the box, found a cutting Ithamar Junior, who headed the ball just inside the near post, into the back of the net and gave the Trojans a 2-1 lead.
Despite the continued offensive pressure from William Woods, the Trojans defense and goaltender Jorge Bravo Gonzalez would not allow the equalizer and HLG was able to hold on for the one goal victory.
WWU outshot the Trojans 11-6 in the game and were led by Burich, as he scored his second goal on the year, while also leading the team in shots, having four.
Alex Severino added three, while
Harrison Bray contributed two and
Jacob Hawes and
Joe Lewis totaled one shot a piece.
In net, Cable, a Spalding, England, native, made two saves on the day, while this was the only the second time this year the freshman has allowed two goals in a game.
On the season, the Owls have scored 27 goals, while surrendering just seven in 12 games. Leading the way has been the duo of Severino and Hawes, who have combined for 10 goals and two assists on 60 shots.
Anthony Moscatello has totaled four goals, while
Alan Matthew has found the back of the net three times, all from penalty shots. Despite scoring one goal this year, senior
Paulo Conelian is second on the team in points (10), as he has totaled a team-high eight assists, which ranks the Sao Paulo, Brazil, native, 12
th overall in the NAIA.
Cable, meanwhile, has made 46 saves in 961:30 minutes played, allowed just seven goals and has a goals against average of .660, which is eighth best in the NAIA.
The Owls have fared well thus far against Benedictine University at Springfield (5-7; 1-4 AMC), as the team has won all three of its meetings. Last year, when these two teams' met, WWU outshot the Bulldogs 24-11 and went on for the 6-2 victory at Firley Field.
This year, after only totaling two wins last season, BenU-Springfield has collected five victories on the season, but are just 1-4 in AMC play.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 1-0 (OT) loss against Park University, as the Pirates scored the game winner at the 99:22 mark, off the foot of Lucas Sousa.
On the season, the Bulldogs have scored 23 goals and are led by Zephen Merreighn, who leads the team in goals (five), assists (four), points (14) and shots (34).
Pedro Parra is second on the team with four goals on 24 shots, while Steven Njuba has netted three on the year. In net, Antonio Marti-Polo has started 12 games, made 51 saves in 818:22 minutes and holds a goals against average 2.75.
Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com on Saturday night for a full recap and score from Springfield, Illinois.
