The Basics
Score: #21 Saginaw Valley 2, Lewis 1
Records: SVSU (1-0-0) | LU (0-1-0)
Location: Braddock Field - University Center, Mich.
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - Looking to get the 2016 season started on the right foot, the no. 21 ranked SVSU men's soccer team certainly did that in the season-opener at home against Lewis University. The Cardinals scored a pair of goals in the opening 3:37 of play and held on despite a late Flyer goal to claim the 2-1 victory.
Saginaw Valley struck for the first time at the 2:28 marker when freshman Roderic Green used a feed from senior Troy Watson to make the score 1-0.
Watson would set up another teammate just over a minute later when he found Jordan Kalk at the 3:37 point to extend the lead to 2-0.
The Cardinals held a 6-4 edge in shots for the opening 45 minutes of play.
Lewis got on the board at the 63:06 mark, as Devon Amoo-Mensah scored a header from teammate Raif Zehnter to cut the deficit to 2-1.
That would be all for the game's scoring, however, as the 21st-ranked Cardinals were able to close-out for the victory.
Inside the Boxscore
- Green's goal marked the first of his career for Saginaw Valley.
- Kalk, the team's leading goal scorer from a year ago, kept his pace rolling with his first score of the season.
- Watson collected his first two helpers of 2016, which puts him already halfway to his total of four last season from the midfielder position.
- Saginaw Valley posted a 9-7 overall advantage in the shots category.
- Freshman Connor Keane collected his first career victory in net for the Cardinals.
From Head Coach Andy Wagstaff
"It's always great to win and today we did that. We set the tempo early with two goals in four minutes and looked electric going forward. After scoring those two quick goals, we then seemed to take our foot off the gas and allowed Lewis to get back into the game. They started to get into the game more and then pulled a goal back in the second half, making us uncomfortable for a period of time. It was disappointing to give a goal away but Lewis is a strong regional opponent and will always try to find a way back into the game"
"Overall, we got the job done in our season-opener, but we all think we have got a lot more to offer and will work hard to eradicate some of the mistakes we made in this game."
Up Next...
Saginaw Valley returns to Braddock Field Sunday (Sep. 4) for a 2:30 p.m. matchup against St. Joseph's College. The Pumas play at Northwood University Friday (Sep. 2) in a 4:00 p.m. contest.