Score: No. 13 Saginaw Valley 2, Purdue Northwest 1
Records: SVSU (5-1-1, 2-1-1 GLIAC) | PNW (3-3-1, 2-2-0 GLIAC)
Location: Pepsi Field - Hammond, Ind.

HAMMOND, Ind. -- Coming off a tough draw at Tiffin on Friday (Sep. 22) at Tiffin University, the SVSU Men's Soccer team bounced back with with a 2-1 victory at Purdue Northwest on Sunday afternoon in a league matchup. 

It was the first ever matchup between Saginaw Valley and the GLIAC newcomer in what was the first of two meetings for the 2017 campaign. 

Connor Rutz stayed hot for the Cardinals offensively, scoring the team's first goal fir the third straight contest to give the visitors the 1-0 lead just 13' into the match. Kevin Mendoza assisted on the play for the score. 

The contest stayed at that same 1-0 lead for SVSU until Rutz struck again in the second, using an Azaad Liadi helper to push the lead to 2-0 at the 59' marker. 

The Pride scored their lone goal at the 70' mark, cutting the deficit to just 2-1. 

It would not matter, however, as the Cardinals closed out for the single goal road victory to remain tied atop the league standings. 

Inside the Boxscore

• Rutz's two goals give him four on the year, tied for the team lead in goals while he leads with nine points.
• Mendoza's assist marked his first point in an SVSU uniform.
• Liadi now has two helpers on the 2017 season. 
• The Cardinals held an 11-9 overall edge in shots, putting seven on goal compared to three for the Pride.
• Connor Keane (5-1-1) collected the victory in net, stopping two shots on goal in his 90:00.

From Head Coach Andy Wagstaff

"Great to come away with a win today. We could have put the game to bed a couple times at 2-0 but we just let them hang on long enough to cause us some problems with a goal. The game turned into a battle and some of the lads were warriors who dug deep to help us get the three points, even though it wasn't pretty. We have had a lot of away games so far ths season and are excited to be returning home in front of our fans, families and friends at Braddock Field!"

Up Next...

The Cardinals return home to Braddock Field for a pair of league matches this weekend. SVSU hosts Ashland Friday (Sep. 29) in a 2:30 p.m. contest before playing Davenport on Sunday in a matchup of top league teams. 

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