GREENVILLE, Ill. – Following a 3-0 win over Principia College on Friday evening, the Gustavus Adolphus men’s soccer team took to the field almost exactly 24 hours later and came away with an equally impressive performance, earning a 4-0 victory over Greenville College. The win pushes Gustavus to a perfect 5-0-0 record, while Greenville falls to 1-5-0.
“Really nice win today for the lads,” said Coach Mike Middleton. “To play the type of football we played on a very muddy field was tremendous. Eli Bjerk was outstanding in midfield pulling the strings like a marionette. After Charlie [Adams] went off with a slight knock early on, Isaac Bloom stepped in very effectively – he is highly technical, and was very dominant in the center midfield even given the difficult conditions. The lads came out on fire at the start of the game and never let up; it was a pleasure to watch and coach.”
Patrick Roth (Jr., Stillwater, Minn.) put the Gusties on the board early, when he found the net off an assist from Eli Bjerk (Sr., Stillwater, Minn.) at the 1:51 mark.
“Patrick Roth scored a terrific goal in the first couple of minutes,” said Middleton. “The imperious Eli Bjerk played a defense-splitting ball, and Patrick hit a left-footed shot with such venom that it almost took the net off. It ricocheted of the underside off the crossbar and back stanchion – a great goal.”
The identical combination of Roth and Bjerk accounted for the Gusties’ second goal at the 22:44 mark to give Gustavus a 2-0 lead.
“Same combination, but a completely different goal for our second score,” said Middleton. “Eli floated a delightful ball to Patrick who rose above the defense to place a header back tantalizingly across the goalkeeper – a goal of consummate skill and touch. We created several really good chances after that, but couldn’t get our third before halftime.”
Sophomore Matt Jacobs (Mankato, Minn.) continued to add to his impressive early-season scoring resume with Gustavus’ third goal at 69:33 off assists from Matt Ouren (Fy., North Mankato, Minn.) and Everett Rinke (Sr., Waconia, Minn.).
“Matt Jacobs came on in the second half, and within several minutes, his pace and power proved too much for their defense,” said Middleton. “Matt Ouren won the ball in midfield, slipping a nice ball through to Everette Rinke, who at full pace, found Matt [Jacobs] in the corner of the box. Matt pushed it past the defender with his first touch, powered past his man, and buried the ball in the far corner of the net – a really nicely created and taken goal. That allowed us to get a number of our first-years in the game and they played with such verve and vigor, knocking the ball around with a style belying their youth, which was really enjoyable to see.”
Eli Orellana (Fy., Lansing, Mich.) put the cherry on the sundae to close the game, scoring his first collegiate goal at 87:31, to give Gustavus a 4-0 lead and its most goals scored in a single game so far this season.
“Eli Orellana scored our final goal, taking the go really well,” said Middleton. “Daniel Barnes won the ball in midfield, laying it off to Aidan Clemence. Aidan threaded an inch-perfect ball between the left-side central defender and the left-back for Eli, who took the ball in his stride, and sat the goalkeeper down before finishing with his left foot – a very nice play that showed skill beyond his years.”
Anders Severson (Fy., Lino Lakes, Minn.) earned his fifth win and fifth consecutive shutout to begin his collegiate career by making two saves in 87:31.
“All in all a really good weekend,” concluded Middleton. “To travel away from home, and get two good results is really great for our team. This team is a pleasure to watch play – anyone who enjoys great skill and possession play would love this team, and it is the type of side as a player you’d love to play on.”