ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Gustavus men’s soccer team took down Presentation College in a non-conference matchup Tuesday afternoon, led by a hat-trick performance by Arthur Parens (Jr., Wayzata, Minn.).
Parens is the first Gustie since 2011 to record three goals in a game, registering his seventh, eighth, and ninth goals of the season. The Gusties’ leading scorer has now reached the 20-point plateau. The last Gustie to reach at least 20 points in a season was All-American Zach Brown in 2014.
Gustavus needed just 12:28 to get on the board, as Parens tallied his first goal with help from Daniel Barnes (Jr., Lund, Sweden). The Black and Gold took the 1-0 lead into the intermission.
In the second half, the Gustie attack commanded play, scoring three more goals and out shooting the Saints by an impressive mark of 31-3. They also held a 24-2 shots on goal and 16-1 corner kick advantage.
Parens opened the second half onslaught at the 53 minute mark, assisted by Kyle Monson (Jr., Verona, Wis.), who earned his third assist in the last three games. At the 70th minute, Nolan Garvin (Fy., Batavia, Ill.) recorded his second goal in Black and Gold prior to Parens completing the hat trick just five minutes later. David Almaer (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) and Matt Murakami (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) assisted on the third and fourth goals.
Matt Bateman (Jr., Savage, Minn.) and Anders Severson (Jr., Woodbury, Minn.) combined for the shutout in net, with Bateman tallying two saves to improve his record to 8-4.
“Arthur took his goals very well. He was actually frustrated not to score more. That’s a goal scorer for you, never satisfied. But, you cannot be too greedy, scoring a hat-trick is a great accomplishment. Nolan Garvin was exceptional on his first start, and we got a number of players into the game who did well including the impressive duo of Jackson Nasby (So., Iowa Lake, Iowa) and Will Richards (So., Hudson, Wis.). This was certainly a worthwhile trip,” Middleton said.
The Gusties, now 8-4 overall, return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action on Saturday, hosting Bethel University at Gustie Soccer Field at 1 p.m.
Wow! What a team!! It was a
pleasure to watch the Augsburg
Game as well. The team really
interacts well. A team with special
players!