Cody Billins leaps for a header. (Photo courtesy of CJ Siewert)
ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s soccer team took down Viterbo University with six different scorers on Wednesday afternoon, earning their third shutout of the season and improving their record to 5-3-0 on the season.
The Gusties took control early, scoring at the 15th minute as Brad Williams (Sr., Andover, Minn.) tallied his second goal of the season. The offense didn’t take a step back following the first goal, as Gustavus overwhelmed Viterbo with a 15-4 shot advantage in the first half while they added three more goals. Alex Wilson (Sr., Ashland, Wis.), Luke Laurich (So., Batavia, Ill.), and Nolan Garvin (Fy., Batavia, Ill.) each notched their first goals of the season (Garvin’s first career).
“An enjoyable game for the lads today,” said Head Coach Mike Middleton. “We had a number of players get onto the field which was nice, and they all played very well. Brad Williams scored the first goal, his second in two games and he is in a rich vein of form. The second goal was scored by Alex Wilson, who took the goal very well after some excellent play from Cody Billins (So., Farmington, Minn.).”
“The third was was taken by Luke Laurich, coming into the backpost with great speed and determination, after some really good set-up play from midfield player Matt Ouren (Jr., North Mankato, Minn.). After that the game really started to open up. Freshman Nolan Garvin scored his first collegiate goal for the fourth, and looked like a very accomplished player. He’s really decent on the ball, and very composed. Matt Gibbons (Fy., Minneapolis, Minn.) is proving to be a real handful for defenses; he sees up the fifth goal for Arthur Parens (Jr., Wayzata, Minn.) who took the chance with great calmness. Arthur looked good throughout, and that was his fifth goal of the season, which is really good at this stage,” Middleton said.
In the second half, the Gusties added two more goals to record their highest offensive output since the 2015 season. Parens picked up his team-leading fifth of the season, followed by Kyle Monson’s (Jr., Verona, Wis.) first collegiate tally. Both were assisted by Gibbons. Matt Bateman (Jr., Savage, Minn.) and Anders Severson (Jr., Woodbury, Minn.) combined for the shutout in net.
“Josh Anderson (Fy., Westmont, Ill.) played at both right-back and central defender, finishing the game at centre-back and looking very accomplished. Leo Spry (Fy., Walker, Minn.) played very well alongside Nolan Garvin, proving to be a real threat upfront, and he was very unlucky not to score,” Middleton commented.
The Black and Gold head back into Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action on Saturday, hosting the University of St. Thomas for homecoming at 1 p.m.
“Everyone is looking forward to the next game on Saturday. Another game at home, which is always nice and back to conference play,” Middleton concluded.