Gustavus Adolphus College

MOORHEAD, Minn. - The Gustavus men's soccer team battled late efforts by Concordia on Saturday to take a MIAC win, 3-2, over the Cobbers. It only took Joe Flory 24 seconds of game time to score two goals for the team early on in the match and the Gusties stayed on the front foot for the rest of the match.

First, senior Joe Flory (Whitchurch, England) played a through ball to sophomore Kieran Mahan (Wayzata, Minn.) who cut back onto his left foot past a defender and was tripped up for a penalty kick. Flory stepped up to the spot and was as cool as you like, wrongfooting the goalkeeper and slotting the ball into the bottom left corner to take a 1-0 lead. 24 seconds later, Flory struck again. This goal came from the run of play, when senior Leo Runestad (Northfield, Minn.) nutmegged his defender and fired a ball into Flory inside the penalty area. Flory took a touch and hammered the ball past the goalkeeper, doubling the lead. Runestad had ramped up the offensive pressure from the jump before the goals were scored, starting with two shots on goal inside 30 seconds of each other at the halfway point through three minutes into the match. Besides the goals, Gustavus had three more shots on goal and Mahan hit the woodwork on a shot that stopped the goalie in his tracks, but the score remained 2-0 at the break. 

Gustavus had six shots on goal in the second half, including a wonderful hit from junior Henrry Abarca-Gonzalez (Des Moines, Iowa) for his first goal in Black & Gold. Abarca-Gonzalez picked up a pass by Runestad and entered the attacking third, where he was met with no pressure and hit a dipping shot into the left side of the net to bring the Gustie lead back to two after a Cobber goal in the 60th minute. Concordia picked up a second goal in the 83rd minute, but the Gusties were able to hold off for the final seven minutes to pick up three more points in the MIAC standings.

Flory's two goals meant his first two-goal game of the season and sixth of his career to push past 90 career points. After three goals on Wednesday against Bethany Lutheran as well, the Gusties have now scored three goals in back-to-back matches. Flory, Runestad, and sophomore Thomas Depaula (Ankeny, Iowa) all registered two shots on goal to pace the Gusties while junior Jackson Baker (Excelsior, Minn.) made one save in goal. Senior Simon Woods (Sioux Falls, S.D.), first-year Jack Potter (London, England), and Depaula all played 90 minutes. 

The Gustavus men's soccer team will host Saint Mary's at 4 p.m. on Tuesday for their next MIAC competition. 
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