ST. PETER, Minn. – Alex Wilson (Jr., Ashland, Wis.) scored the game-winning goal with under ten minutes remaining in the game to lead the Gustavus men’s soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Carleton College Saturday afternoon at the Gustie Soccer Field.
With the win the Gusties move to 3-7-1 (2-2-1 MIAC), while the Knights fall to 4-3-2 (1-2-1 MIAC).
Wilson recorded the first goal of his career after taking a beautiful shot that bent into the top corner of the goal past Carleton goalkeeper Brandon Hilliard.
“Alex certainly deserved it for his work-rate alone, and for the number of crosses he got across the box,” said Head Coach Mike Middleton. “Very competitive game today, and we certainly made our own luck with the phenomenal high work rate from the lads. You can see the really tough non-conference schedule is paying off,” said Head Coach Mike Middleton.
The Black and Gold tied a season-high with 10 shots on goal. Arthur Parens (So., Wayzata, Minn.) led the Gusties with three shots on goal, tying a season-high. Goalkeeper Matt Bateman (So., Savage, Minn.) made seven saves in goal to post his second consecutive shutout.
Gustavus led Carleton in shots (14-12) as well as corner kicks (6-3).
“We created a number of chances, which is always nice to see although we did have a bit of fortune on our goal to be honest – but, thats the benefit of hitting the target,” Middleton commented.
With just five regular season games remaining, the Gusties will look to keep the momentum going after notching back-to-back wins over Saint Mary’s and Carleton.
“Fifteen points to play for in the conference now,” said Middleton. “This was a collective effort, with serious contributions from lots of players. Dan Barnes (So., Lund, Sweden) was a monster defensively, and Jack Conroy (So., Shoreview, Minn.) was top-class alongside freshman Cody Billins (Fy., Farmington, Minn.), and John Anderson (Jr., Maplewood, Minn.) on defense. Matt Murakami (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) must have covered every blade of grass on the pitch, and its great to have Parens back – he’s a real threat upfront, and almost capped a top performance with a lovely shot at the end of the game that their ‘keeper did well to tip over the bar.”
Gustavus returns to action a week from today as its travels to Minneapolis, Minn. to battle Augsburg College.