Second-Half Lapses Cost Leaf Men In Season Opener At Madonna

by | Aug 26, 2017 | Headlines, RRSN News | 0 comments

Second-Half Lapses Cost Leaf Men In Season Opener At Madonna

Madonna scores three times in eight minutes to post win


LIVONIA, Mich. — Goshen College opened its 60th men’s soccer season Friday night at Madonna University. For much of the first half, it resembled Goshen’s 59th season: a defensive shutout, but without a goal to show on offense either. Unfortunately for the Maple Leafs, the game consisted of two halves and Madonna University scored three times after halftime to post a 3-0 win.

Nate Nussbaum put Goshen’s first shot high in the 19th minute, five minutes before Goshen’s best chance of the night came on a penalty kick and Madonna netminder Joe Smith kept the game scoreless. Neither team mustered a shot—on goal or otherwise—in the 14 minutes before halftime. Madonna took five shots to Goshen’s four in the first 31 minutes.

Yuri Farkas opened the scoring 7:32 after halftime to put Madonna up 1-0. Ninety-three seconds later, Hector Morales followed suit with an unassisted tally. Morales added Madonna’s third goal with a header off a Farkas corner kick with 29:50 to play.

“Madonna is always a very good team,” said Goshen head coach Arron Patrick. “They were clinical when we presented them with chances. We made three or four errors in this match that ruined a lot of the good work that we did.”

Madonna finished with a 13-4 shot margin and a 7-2 lead in shots on goal. Uriel Macias led Goshen with a pair of shots while Johan Escalante made two saves and Oliver Wisseman one. Jeff Wielczopolski and Joe Smith combined for the shutout in the Crusader net.

Farkas led all players with six shots: Macias and Smith each put attempts on frame for GC.

“I thought we were pretty good in the first half, and if anyone was going to take the lead, it looked like it would be us,” said Patrick. “The first mistake really shook us up, and we need to do a better job bouncing back mentally. We lost composure for less than eight minutes and good teams punish you when that happens.”

The Maple Leafs used eight substitutes and committed seven of the game’s 19 fouls. Four of the game’s five cards went to Madonna.

“There is not going to be any panic on our end—we trust this group and believe in them,” Patrick said. “We played almost every guy, lots of new faces got valuable minutes and we stayed injury free. The team our fans see on Wednesday will be exciting, energetic and a team our college can be very proud of.”

Goshen plays six of its next seven matches at home, including five doubleheaders with the women’s team in the month of September. The team’s home opener is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Siena Heights.

Related Content

Dec 07 2023

Class of 2023 Formally Enshrined Into U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame

Class of 2023 Formally Enshrined Into U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame BOSTON — Before a capacity crowd at the Westin Copley Place, the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2023 –...
Dec 07 2023

Purdue WBB Beats SEMO, Extends Streak to 4 in a Row

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women's basketball team ran away to an 83-57 win over Southeast Missouri State on Wednesday night in Mackey Arena. Purdue moved to 6-3...
Dec 07 2023

Valiant Comeback Effort Falls Shy as Central Michigan Edges Valpo

Valiant Comeback Effort Falls Shy as Central Michigan Edges Valpo The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team showed grit and fight throughout the second half on...
Dec 07 2023

No. 1 Grace MBB stays perfect with win over Wolverines

No. 1 Grace stays perfect with win over Wolverines DEARBORN, Mich. - The undefeated start to the season continued for No. 1 Grace on Wednesday. The Lancers’ men’s...
Dec 06 2023

Valpo Athletics Boasts 93 Percent Graduation Success Rate for Second Straight Year

Valpo Athletics Boasts 93 Percent Graduation Success Rate for Second Straight Year Valparaiso University student-athletes continued to thrive academically as the NCAA...