DULUTH, Minn. - The Gustavus men's soccer team stayed unbeaten in MIAC play this season with a convincing 3-0 win over St. Scholastica on Wednesday.
The Gusties scored all three goals in the first half, starting with a free kick from junior
Henrry Abarca-Gonzalez (Des Moines, Iowa). The free kick was from the left side, just outside of the penalty area, and bounced through a few defenders who screened the Saint goalkeeper and allowed the ball to go in untouched. Senior
Leo Runestad (Northfield, Minn.) scored the second goal of the day after a strong individual effort, evading two defenders and tucking the ball over the shoulder of the goalkeeper once again to double the Gustavus lead. Senior
Jack Isroff (Valparaiso, Ind.) was taken down in the box just seconds later and earned a penalty. Classmate
Darren Chukel (Hudson, Wis.) stepped up and scored said penalty kick, finding the back of the net and sending the goalkeeper the wrong way. The three goals for Gustavus were their only shots on goal, but the team took eight total shots which bettered the Saints by five. Junior goalkeeper
Jackson Baker (Excelsior, Minn.) made one save and the Gusties took four corner kicks.
In the second half, Gustavus could not find any more insurance goals, but that does not mean they did not have offensive production. The Gusties took 16 shots in the half compared to St. Scholastica's one and Gustavus owned the only six shots on goal of the half.
Senior
Joe Flory (Whitchurch, England) and Chukel led the team with four shots and two shots on goal while the team took 24 total shots across the 90 minutes. No one except Baker played all 90, but the junior earned another shutout bringing his season total to four. With the win in another 90 minutes, Baker's goals against average sits below 1.00.
The match today against St. Scholastica concludes a run of four games in nine days where the Gusties outscored opponents 17-1. The team will look to continue that streak on Senior Day, taking on Hamline at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
