The Gustavus men’s soccer team allowed a penalty kick goal in the first minute of the match, but responded by putting 30 shots on net and scoring five consecutive goals the rest of the way to claim a 5-1 win over Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato on Tuesday night. Five different players scored for the Gusties who improved to 3-3-1 on the season.
Gustavus got in an early hole when Bethany’s Felipe Ortega scored on a penalty kick just :59 seconds into the match. The Gusties, however bounce back and tie the match at 1-1 on a goal by Evan Odean off a corner kick by Max Malquist in the 20th minute (19:18). Doug Frey gave Gustavus the lead for good with a goal at the 27:25 mark with an assist from Ben Ikeda. The Gusties, who held an 18-3 shot advantage in the first half, led 2-1 at the intermission.
Gustavus would break the game open in the second half on goals by Justin Egleseder (48:29), Mark Adams (69:42), and Max Malmquist (79:51), while outshooting the Vikings 12-2. A Bethany Lutheran player was issued a red card in the 80th minute and the Vikings played a man down for the final 10 minutes of the match.
Coach Mike Middleton was pleased with the team’s play. He stated, “We have been working on having more patience in the attacking third in order to create more scoring opportunities and we certainly did that tonight.” He added, “Our defense played well also, we picked up our marks early and maintained our shape consistently throughout the match.”
Gustavus will return to conference play with match against Saint John’s at home on Saturday. It is Homecoming Day for the Gusties.