The Gustavus men’s soccer team was on the scoreboard early and often Sunday afternoon in St. Peter, Minn., as the Gusties cruised to a 7-0 victory over Clarke University, improving to 2-0 on the season. Senior attacker Mark Adams led the way with a hat trick, the second of his career, while rookie Zack Brown put his name on the map, scoring two goals and dishing out two assists. Clarke falls to 1-1 with the loss.
Mark Adams gave the Gusties a 1-0 lead at the 3:36 mark, knocking the ball into the net off a corner kick by Jackson Zoellner.
After over 24 minutes of open play in which Gustavus registered four shots and had four corners, Zack Brown gave the Gusties a 2-0 advantage on an unassisted goal from the right wing. Goalkeeper Luke Van Meveren couldn’t handle the close range shot as the ball dribbled across the goal line for Brown’s first collegiate goal.
Junior Grant Steine brought the first half scoring to a close with a goal from within the box off a pass from Brown in the 35th minute. The Gusties outshot the Crusaders 9-7 in the first half.
Just over 11 minutes into the second half, Mark Adams took the legs out from under Clarke with his second goal of the match, kicking an assist from Brown in from on the doorstep of the goal, putting Gustavus up 4-0. Adam’s second goal would be the first of four Gustavus goals within 20 minutes of each other.
Brown got back into the scoring mix one last time eight minutes later when he and Grant Steine beat the Crusader defense for a goal on a 2-on-3 breakaway in the 64th minute.
Mark Adams’ hat trick completing goal came at 73:15 when he lobbed the ball at the top right corner of the net from 30 yards, roofing Van Meveren who was caught out of position. Zoellner brought the scoring to an end two minutes later on a goal off a Justin Egleseder assist, his first of the season.
The Gusties finished with 15 shots and a shooting percentage of .467. Freshman goalkeeper Brett Ylonen recorded a shutout victory in the first start of his career. Ylonen made three saves in 74:12 minutes.
The Gustavus men’s soccer team will be back in action on Tuesday, Sept. 6 when the Gusties travel to New Ulm, Minn. to take on non-conference opponent Martin Luther College at 4:00 p.m.
Match Notes
– Mark Adams’ hat trick performance Sunday afternoon is the second of his career. The Waukee, Iowa native scored three goals in a 4-3 win over Bethel on Oct. 23, 2009.
– Gustavus’ seven-goal performance is the highest single-game mark since the Gusties blanked Dakota Wesleyan 7-0 on Sept. 5, 2008.
– Zach Brown’s six point game (2G, 2A) is the highest single-game performance since Mark Adams’ hat trick game against Bethel in 2009.