The Gustavus men’s soccer team continued to wreak havoc on non-conference opponents with a 7-0 win over Crown College on Tuesday afternoon in St. Peter, Minn. Evan Odean, Zach Brown, and Kyle Sadler all had two goals in the contest, as Gustavus exploded for five goals in the second half. The Gusties move to 10-1-1 overall, while Crown falls to 4-5.
“The lads really moved the ball well today. We looked sharp, and it was a good all-around performance,” said Head Coach Mike Middleton.
For the second time this season, Gustavus did not allow its opponent to put up a shot in the match. The Gusties dominated the time of possession, outshooting Crown 27-0 and holding the corner kick advantage 16-1.
Defender Justin Eglseder scored what turned out to be the game-winner at the 27:07 mark, putting in a header off a Brian Simons assist. The goal was Eglseder’s fifth of the season.
Evan Odean put Gustavus up 2-0 in the 38th minute with his first goal of the season, knocking home a header off a Grant Steine corner kick. He would add another goal (7-0) later in the match off a one-timer from Doug Frey on a breakaway. Odean finished with a perfect shooting percentage in the match, scoring two goals on two shots.
Following Odean’s first goal, Zach Brown found the back net at the 52:17 and 64:36 marks to extend Gustavus’ lead to 4-0. With two unassisted goals in today’s match, Brown now leads the team with nine on the season.
Kyle Sadler struck the back of the net :14 seconds after Brown’s second goal to give Gustavus a 5-0 advantage. He then added his second goal of the match at the 70:43 mark off a Justin Eglseder dime.
“Dougie Frey played well again, and Kyle Sadler, despite his 4:00 a.m. trips to Minneapolis as part of his clinical program, was outstanding,” said Middleton on the play of his senior midfielders. “Zach Brown was as sharp as a tack scoring twice, and we also got two lovely goals from Duluth stand-out Evan Odean. But to mention anyone is really to take away from an excellent team effort.”
In seven non-conference matches this season, Gustavus has outscored its opponents 27-to-1.
With the game in hand late, Middleton got a look at some of his rookie talent. “An truly outstanding debut from freshman Eric Schneider who really looked the part. Elliot Emerson also looked very composed,” said Middleton. “Today was a fun day, and we are all living large!”
The Gustavus men’s soccer team will be back in conference play on Saturday, Oct. 8 with a match against Bethel at 1:00 p.m. in Arden Hills, Minn.