SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men's soccer team, ranked No. 10 in the nation, posted its fourth clean sheet of the season Saturday, blanking Loras 2-0 in a non-conference match-up at the Gustie Soccer Field. The Gusties dominated offensive play against the Duhawks, rolling to their fourth consecutive victory with goals from
Carlos Robles (Sr., Minneapolis) and
Joe Flory (So., Whitechurch, England).
"This was a fantastic win against a regional opponent that is used to being at the top of the A-R-C," Head Coach
Tudor Flintham said. "Historically, they're the best team in Iowa, and are used to winning championships and making deep runs into the NCAA tournament. It was good to get our guys tested against another side who competes really well. Their goalkeeper made a couple of really impressive saves, but our guys just stuck with it. We prepared really well for today. Loras doesn't play the same way as anyone else, and our guys really embraced the way we trained for this game, and executed the game plan."
Despite an overwhelming number of chances in the first 45 minutes, the Duhawks survived intense pressure from the Gusties to hold the game scoreless through the first half. Gustavus was firing on all cylinders from kickoff, totaling 11 shots in the first frame, a number of which came consecutively in front of the goal of Loras keeper Ben Krogman, who made a series of acrobatic saves early in the game.
Robles was the hero for the Gusties, finally getting one past Krogman in minute 56. The Gusties drew a foul midway between the halfway line and the box. Robles stepped up to the challenge, sending a perfect shot to beat Krogman on the left side of the goal. The Duhawks put up their best fight of the game following the Robles goal, totaling three shots toward the goal of
Egan Bedwell (Sr., Milwaukee, Wis.) and managing a rare corner kick against the Gusties, but it wasn't nearly enough to overcome the high-powered Gustavus offense.
"
Carlos Robles takes the headlines with his goal today," continued Flintham. "It was probably the best free kick I've seen at Gustavus so far. We've been training really well lately, and it was great to see that pay off."
Joe Flory sealed the deal in the 88th minute, as the sophomore collected a perfect throw-in from
Mason Gilliand (Jr., Minneapolis), took two steps, and sent his fifth goal of the season into the right side of the goal for the 2-0 final.
The Gusties were dominant on all areas of the field, totaling 19 shots and seven on goal, compared to three shots from Loras, all in the second half, with only one reaching Bedwell. Gustavus added 10 corner kicks, while the Duhawks managed just three throughout the game. Robles led the Gustie offensive charge with two shots on goal, while
Jared Hecht (5th, Apple Valley), Flory,
Simon Woods (So., Sioux Falls, S.D.),
Rivaldo Pena (Jr., Rochester), and
Evan Afdahl (Fy., Eden Prairie) accounted for the others. Bedwell added his fourth shutout of the season, saving the lone shot on goal by the Duhawks in the second half.
"It's nice to put another goal in the back of the net for
Joe Flory, and he's on a great run. But today was another game where we leaned on the entire squad and played some guys who don't usually get a lot of minutes, but this felt like a great opportunity for them. We'll rest, recover, and get ready for conference to start against a formidable Carleton team. They're well-coached with really good players and we're looking forward to another battle."
The Gusties, now 5-0-1, begin conference play Tuesday, hosting Carleton for a MIAC match-up at the Gustie Soccer Field.
