SAINT PETER, Minn. – Arthur Parens (Sr., Wayzata, Minn.) scored a hat trick Wednesday, guiding the Gustavus men’s soccer team to a 4-0 win over Martin Luther at the Gustavus reserve field. The shutout victory improves the Gusties to 2-0 early in the season, while the Knights fall to 0-3.
“This was a much better performance from us and we looked more like the team we’re trying to be,” Head Coach Tudor Flintham said. “We set some really specific targets this game regarding chance generation, possession, pass completion, as well as some defensive objectives. We left the pitch happy knowing that we hit all of our targets. A clean sheet, another four goals, and particularly scoring from a set piece are big confidence boosters, but the coaching staff is also really happy about improving our overall possession to 65 percent and bumping up our pass completion rate to above 70 percent. We still need to improve but we are trending the right way.”
It took less than five minutes for Parens to score what proved to be the game-winning goal as he stole a pass in front of the net and sent it past the keeper. Three minutes later, Parens tallied his second goal on the day with assists from Scott Heinen (So., Aurora, Ill.) and Will Richards (Jr., Hudson, Wis.).
In the 32nd minute, Parens once again used great footwork to steal the ball away from the defender and fired it into the net for his MIAC-leading fifth goal of the season.
The final goal of the day came in the 59th minute as Luke Laurich (Jr., Batavia, Ill.) sent in a corner kick, which Trace Dobson (So., Sioux Falls, S.D.) headed in for his second score of the season.
The Gusties outshot the Knights 27-7, while Matt Bateman (Sr., Savage, Minn.) posted a shutout with one save.
“The team culture has also been really positive so far,” Flintham said. “We see it every day in training and around campus, but when Arthur tried to credit Scotty with his hat trick goal, I think everyone else got a glimpse of what this program is all about. They are a bunch of selfless competitors driven by a team first attitude. We think that’s a huge part of what will bring us success in this and future years.”
Gustavus travels to Luther for a 7:30 p.m. match Friday.
“We’ve got a massive test this weekend against two of the top teams in Iowa, so I think we will know a lot more about ourselves coming out of Friday and Sunday,” Flintham said. “We’ll be preparing for a battle in both games, so we won’t expect the possession to be quite as lopsided, but we’ll again have some really specific targets and know that our game plan sets us up well for the results we’re looking for.”