FULTON, Mo.—Playing in front of a large crowd in its home opener at Firley Field on Wednesday night, the William Woods University men's soccer team won a wild game against Avila University, as the Owls defeated the Eagles, 4-2.
It was a very fast paced and physical game between the Owls (1-1) and Eagles (0-3), with neither team wanting to give an inch through 90:00 minutes of play. There were a total of 35 shots, while the two teams' combined for 30 fouls in the outing.
The scoring got started early for WWU, as at the 3:55 mark,
Lendell Louis-Jacques tallied his second assist on the year from inside the 18-yard box, as after avoiding a defender, Louis-Jacques was able to cross the ball right past the keeper, which found
Alex Severino and he buried his second goal on the season, to give WWU a 1-0 lead.
Both teams' had its scoring chances throughout the first half, including
Brett Hodges having two consecutive opportunities to extend the teams' lead in the 35
th and 36
th minutes, but Eagles goaltender Patrick Elliot, was able to keep his teams' deficit at 1-0 heading into the break.
The physical play and excitement really picked up in the second half, including in the scoring department, as WWU struck again in the 48
th minute, with Severino finding Hodges, who netted his first goal on the season, to make it a 2-0 game.
In the 62
nd minute, a clearance up the left side of the field from an Avila defender, found the foot of Louis Gallagher, who used his speed to get behind the WWU defense, race inside the 18 yard box and score on the far post, past WWU goalie
Conor Cable, to make it a 2-1 outing.
Then, things got very interesting in less than a minute, as Brandon Brewster was able to score the equalizer, blasting his shot from 30 yards out over Cable, off the post and into the back of the net, to make it a brand new game at 2-2.
The fouls would continue to add up as the clock continued to tick down, but in the 76
th minute, WWU got the momentum back on its side, as
Jesse Bowers kicked the ball from past mid-field up and over the Eagles defense, and after avoiding an Eagles defender,
Anthony Moscatello beat Elliot on the near post, which erupted the Owls crowd and its bench, giving them a 3-2 advantage.
The Owls defense really stood up the final 15:00 minutes of play, as Avila was only able to muster up two shots. In the 84
th minute, the team put the game away, as after Hodges displayed some fancy ball work and fended off the Eagles defenders, he found
Rodrigo Alves just outside the 18 yard box and his shot attempt deflected off an Eagles player and into the back of the net, giving WWU 4-2 victory.
WWU totaled 17 shots in the game and were led by Hodges, who along with his goal and assist, had four shots, with three landing on net. Severino, Moscatello,
Jesse Jordan, Alves and
Julian Wells totaled two shots each. In net, meanwhile, both
Bridger Pretz and Cable combined for three saves.
Avila, had 18 shots on the night, led by Gallaghers' six and one goal. Daniel Galley and Brewster totaled three shots a piece, while six other players added one.
With the win, the Owls are now 1-1 on the season and will look to snag its second win on Saturday, as the team pays a visit to Ottawa University. Kick-off will start at 6 p.m.
Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com later this week for a full preview of the game.
