The Lakeland University men's soccer team opened its COVID-19 delayed 2020-21 season with a bang, snapping a 34-match Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference losing streak with a 1-0 win over Milwaukee School of Engineering Wednesday night at Taylor Field.
The Muskies won their first conference game since 2016 while playing for the first time in 504 days, after the NACC's traditional fall men's soccer season was postponed due to the coronavirus. The win in conference was the first since Lakeland defeated MSOE 3-2 on Oct. 19, 2016.
The Muskies came out hot on the cold, damp spring night, scoring in the game's first five minutes and then shutting down the Raiders the rest of the way.
Carson Galla (
Fr.-Deerfield, Wis.) made five saves for his first collegiate shutout and received quality play in front of him as MSOE registered few strong scoring threats in the match.
The Muskies applied their greatest pressure offensively in the early going and scored their goal just 4 minutes, 58 seconds into the match. With the team's first corner kick of the match,
Lizandro Jimenez (
Jr.-Milwaukee, Wis.) served in a a long crossing pass from the right side, and freshman
Michecadet Gethand (
West Bend, Wis.) was able to collect it and lob a soft shot over the keeper and into the back of the net on a bounce for a 1-0 lead.
Lakeland had another chance off a free kick just over 12 minutes later from near the sideline in the offensive end.
Alessandro Bianchi (
So.-Venice, Italy) received a pass, turned and ripped a shot from 15 yards out that got through clean but hit the left post.
The teams played on even terms most of the first half, with MSOE's best chance coming with 7:50 left in the half when Carson Albert's pass ahead to Kollin McGregor into the box resulted in a quick header that McGregor directed just high from 12 yards out.
The Raiders began to control possession in the final 25 minutes and had a pair of golden chances. The first came in the 69th minute, when a header from point blank range by Arsenius Adogmhe off a free kick hit the left post. It then bounced right of the goal, where Freddy Comparato's shot from a sharp angle was turned away by Galla.
MSOE had one more big chance with 6:30 left in the match with another free kick from 32 yards out. A pass into the box ping-ponged off two players to Connor Dees, whose shot into an open net from eight yards out on the left was cleared by a hustling Jimenez. Lakeland controlled possession for much of the final five minutes, though, with its last chance coming on a soft shot by Comparato with 28 seconds left that was easily gobbled up by Galla.
Fourteen players appeared for a young Muskies team that included five freshmen starters plus three more freshman entering as substitutes. The win came against an MSOE team that finished 10-7-2 overall last season and tied for fourth in the NACC standings.
Lakeland is home again for its next game Sunday when it hosts Wisconsin Lutheran College for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Taylor Field.
