Men’s Soccer Falls 2-1 In Season Opener Posted on September 9th, 2017 by

Arthur Parens battles for possession with Luther defender. (Photo courtesy of Jake Noel, Gustavus Sports Information)

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ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s soccer team suffered its first loss of the 2017, falling 2-1 against Luther College in the home opener at Gustie Soccer Field.

With the loss, the Gusties’ record falls to 3-1 overall on the season, while the No. 23-ranked Luther squad improves to 2-2 overall.

“Very tight game today with both teams trying to get the ball down and play,” said Head Coach Mike Middleton. “We played one of the teams that dominated the region for the last couple of years, and gave them all they could handle, which is not bad for a fledgling team.”

The Norse took an early advantage, scoring just nine minutes into the match. Tyler Pieper sent the ball to teammate Brunno Colon, who took a shot from the left side that was out of the reach of Gustie goalkeeper Matt Bateman (Jr., Savage, Minn.) and found its way in the top right corner of the net.

Gustavus was unable to generate much offense in the first period as the Luther squad defended well and did not allow any Gustie shots, while tallying five of their own, two being on goal.

Arthur Parens (Jr., Wayzata, Minn.) lit a spark in the Black and Gold to begin the second half. After Daniel Barnes (Jr., Lund, Sweden) headed the ball towards the left side, Parens rushed with space and took a great shot past the Luther goalkeeper to tie the game at the 46th minute.

Despite gaining a bit of momentum with Parens’ team-leading third goal of the season, the Norse quickly dampened any Gustie hopes of gaining an advantage as they took a 2-1 lead just three minutes later. Aidan O’Driscoll converted on a corner kick attempt, assisted by Colon. Luther was able to maintain control for the rest of the match, outshooting the Gusties and holding a 9-0 advantage in corner kicks.

“We went down 1-0 after a couple of consecutive mistakes on the same play, which happens when teams are new and trying to gel,” Middleton commented. “We lost easy possession, and then a mix-up between two players handed them the chance. However, we showed great character and managed to get back into the game shortly after the start of the second half with a top-class goal from Arthur Parens. That was one of the best goals you’ll see all season. At 1-1 it was anyone’s game, and was very tight. Then later in the half we conceded a corner needlessly, and that lead to their second goal.”

Gustavus returns to its home turf at the same time tomorrow afternoon, hosting Wartburg College.

“I thought they played very well, and this was just the kind of game we needed.  I have rarely seen a team work as hard as this team that we have, which is great to see. We are getting better each moment, and new each game. This was an enjoyable game today, against a really good team. We’ll now see if we have the strength of character to bounce back after our first set-back,” Middleton concluded.

 

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