SPRINGFIELD, Ill.— The William Woods University men's soccer team set the school record for most shutouts in a single season on Saturday afternoon against Benedictine University at Springfield, as the Owls totaled its eighth on the year, in a 4-0 win against the Bulldogs.
Freshman goaltender
Conor Cable also tied the record for most shutouts in a single season (five), as he is sits atop the record book with Robert Thibodeaux, who has held the record since 2009.
The Owls (9-2-2; 4-2-1 AMC), outshot BenU-Springfield (5-8; 1-5 AMC) 21-9 on Saturday, while the team found the back of the net twice in the first half and two more times in the final 45:00 minutes.
After dominating the early part of the first half against the Bulldogs, the team broke the scoreless game in the 20
th minute, as
Alex Severino scored his team-leading sixth goal on the year, off an assist from
Luca Stroeter, to give WWU a 1-0 lead.
At the 33:19 mark, the Owls were awarded a penalty kick and specialist
Alan Matthew stepped up and buried his fourth goal on the year, to extend the teams' advantage out to 2-0, heading into the half. WWU outshot the Bulldogs 9-4 in the first half, while Cable came up with four saves.
It was more of a dominating performance from the Owls in the second half, as the team outshot Benedictine University at Springfield, 12-5.
At the 56:19 mark of the final frame,
Jacob Hawes had his shot saved by Bulldog goaltender Antonio Marti-Polo, but
Jesse Jordan followed up the shot and scored his second goal on the season, to give WWU a 3-0 lead.
Less than eight minutes later, at the 64:15 mark,
Andrew Bernal found the back of the net for the first time this season, which gave the Owls a 4-0 lead. The Owls defense and Cable kept the shutout intact and WWU went on for the four goal victory.
Hawes recorded a game-high five shots on the afternoon, while Jordan added four,
Anthony Moscatello contributed three and
Sebastian Burich and Bernal totaled two shots a piece.
Cable, meanwhile, totaled seven saves and that now gives the Spalding, England, native, 53 on the year.
The Owls will now return home and look for its fifth American Midwest Conference (AMC) victory on the season against Harris-Stowe State on Tuesday October 21
st. Kick-off will start at 5 p.m.
Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com on Monday afternoon for a full preview of Tuesday's action.
