ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s soccer team had its highest offensive output of the season Monday afternoon as it defeated Bethany Lutheran College 7-0 in non-conference play, and in the process Eli Bjerk (Sr., Stillwater, Minn.) posted three assists to tie the program record for most assists in a game. The record of three assists is held by three different players (Matt Lindberg, 1994; Caleb Bausu, 2005; Mark Adams, 2009). The Gusties improve to 7-4-3 overall with their second straight win.
“A good performance today from the lads,” Head Coach Mike Middleton said. “It’s always nice to put a few goals in the net. We moved the ball nicely at times, which was very pleasing. We looked solid at the back, the midfield looked creative and the forwards looked pretty incisive. They also put in a shift in terms of work-rate, which is always nice to see.”
Sam Leske (Sr., Hampton, Minn.) scored what proved to be the game-winner at the 8:09 mark, assisted by Matt Murakami (So., Eden Prairie, Minn.). Leske’s goal was the first of his career. Patrick Roth (Jr., Stillwater, Minn.) then gave the Gusties a 2-0 lead in the 21st minute on another assist from Bjerk. Less than a minute later, Roth found the back of the net once again as Bjerk recorded the assist hat trick. Arthur Parens (Fy., Wayzata, Minn.) gave the Black and Gold a five-goal lead on a pair of goals within a minute of each other in the 34th and 35th minutes. Matt Ouren (Fy., North Mankato, Minn.) assisted on Parens’ first goal, while Murakami tallied the assist on the second. After 45 minutes of play the Gusties led 5-0.
Austin Gaffney scored his first goal of the season in the 49th minute. The score came on a corner kick by Bjerk for his record-tying third assist of the game. The final goal of the game also came on a corner kick, this time from Konnor Tranoris (Sr., Des Moines, Iowa) as Patrick Leach (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) scored the goal.
Matt Bateman (Fy., Savage, Minn.) earned the win between the posts as he made two saves during the contest. The Gusties outshot the Vikings 18-3.
“I was very pleased with the freshman group, who showed a lot of promise,” Middleton said. “They are a quietly confident bunch, with some nice players amongst them. And, they really enjoy playing together. A couple of nice goals from Arthur Parens, who now has three in two games – well done to him, and some really nice performances from the group.
“A tough game coming up against St. Scholastica. That’s a long trip, and during the Fall break. So, when everyone else is relaxing our lads will continue to be working hard – kudos to them!”
The last non-conference game of the season for Gustavus is 2:30 p.m., Oct. 25 in Duluth, Minn. as the Gusties take on the College of St. Scholastica.