SAINT PETER, Minn. - The Gustavus soccer team treated its home fans to a 2-0 shutout victory over Dubuque on Saturday at the Gustie Soccer Field, improving to 2-0-1 overall.
"I say this a lot but the guys really had a good training week," said Head Coach
Tudor Flintham. "Our scout team got it perfect and I think the assistant coaches had their tactical scheme spot on and it was exactly what we prepared for. Dubuque has a new coach and a lot of belief in themselves, so we knew we were going to have to match them with energy and fight, and really contesting first and second balls."
The Gusties had many chances to take an early lead with a 10-0 advantage in shots in the first half, but couldn't find the back of the net as the score remained scoreless after the first 45 minutes.
In the 67th minute,
Jared Hecht flicked the ball on from the near post to
Joe Flory on the back side for his first goal of the season. And in the 81st minute,
Owen Johnson one-on-one dribbled around a defender and found Flory, who buried the ball in the back of the net for his second goal.
"We created a bunch of goal scoring chances in the first half," Flintham said. "The guys stayed with it and didn't get discouraged. We kept knocking on the door and then a couple guys turned up with some special moments around a strong performance in the second half."
Egan Bedwell earned his second clean sheet of the season after making one save. The Gusties out shot the Spartans 9-1 on goal. Hecht played a major role in the victory on both offense and defense.
"Jared was a freak on both ends of the pitch," Flintham said. "He was the best center back and arguably the best forward on the pitch. A lot of credit also goes to
Joe Flory who pops up with the type of instinctive finish that we know he can contribute."
The Gusties have a quick turnaround as they host St. Norbert at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
