GRINNELL, Iowa – Taking the weekend off from MIAC action, the Gustavus men’s soccer team traveled to Grinnell on Sunday for a non-conference game, beating the Pioneers, 3-0. The Gusties found three goals from three different players on Sunday and Darren Chukel added two assists.
It only took the Gusties 13 minutes and change to score their first goal against Grinnell. Senior Leo Runestad (Northfield, Minn.) sent a long throw-in into the penalty area, which found the head of classmate Darren Chukel (Hudson, Wis.). Chukel flicked the ball to the back post which ended at the head of junior Cal Avery (Middleton, Wis.) and he was able to clean up his own rebound after a save by the Pioneer goalkeeper. Avery missed the first half of the season with injury and now has three points in two games for points eight through 10 in his career. First-year Jack Potter (London, England) scored his first goal in Black and Gold in the 40th minute, courtesy of assists by senior Simon Woods (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Chukel. After a free kick, taken by junior Henrry Abarca-Gonzalez (Des Moines, Iowa), was sent into a mass inside the penalty area, it fell to Chukel who turned past a defender and he passed it to Woods, who crossed it to Potter.
All four of Gustavus’ shots in the first half were shots on goal while junior goalkeeper Jackson Baker (Excelsior, Minn.) made one save. An Achilles heel for the team this year has been defending on corners but the team was perfect in the first half, defending all three without allowing a goal.
The third and final goal of the game came from a usual suspect, sophomore Kieran Mahan (Wayzata, Minn.), who scored his seventh goal of the season. Chukel intercepted a pass in the midfield and played a beautiful ball with the outside of his right foot upfield and all Mahan had to do was take a touch past the indecisive Pioneer goalkeeper. Mahan tucked the ball away and Gustavus earned another non-conference win, moving their record to 8-3-2 overall. The second half included much more offensive pressure by Grinnell, forcing five saves from Baker. The 66th to 76th minute was especially pressurizing, with the Pioneers taking four shots without allowing Gustavus to take one, but two missed left and the other two were saved.
22 different players featured in head coach Tyler Oliver‘s squad on Sunday and no one played a full 90 minutes, meaning a few extra minutes of rest for players heading into another non-conference match tomorrow. The team’s four assists matched a season-high, tied with four-assist performances against Saint Mary’s and UW-Stevens Point.
As mentioned, the Gustavus men’s soccer team is back in action tomorrow at 4 p.m., taking on Lake Forest to round off this season’s non-conference slate.
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