McPHERSON, Kan. --- Top-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan University scored three first-half goals en route to a 3-1 victory over McPherson College in Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) men's soccer play Saturday evening at McPherson Stadium.
The Eagles (12-0-1, 6-0-0 KCAC) struck early when Aleksander Simovic launched a shot from 25 yards out that found the lower right corner of the goal past the outstretched arms of McPherson keeper
Aaron Parrott (Wichita, Kan.).
Perica Obradovic nearly made it 2-0 in the 15th minute as his point-blank shot from just outside the 6-yard box was poked away at the last second by
Tyler Minney (Stewkley, England). Markel Aznal was able to convert three minutes later on a goal partially deflected by a McPherson defender.
Oklahoma Wesleyan extended the lead to 3-0 in the 38th minute as Victor Gouveia scored off a deflection in the box that skidded past Parrott in the lower-left corner of the goal.
The Bulldogs got on the board in the 81st minute when
Nick Torres (McPherson, Kan.) lofted a service into the 6-yard box off a free kick.
David Nobo (Topeka, Kan.) emerged from a scrum to head the ball out to
Jesus Pescador (Valencia, Calif.), who headed it in for the goal.
The Eagles held a 12-8 advantage in shots overall, including a 9-4 edge in shots on goal, but the Bulldogs won the second half by a 4-3 margin. Obradovic had three to lead OWU, while Stefan Milicevic and Gouveia had two apiece.
Pescador finished with a match-high five shots, including three on goal, to lead McPherson. Torres added a couple of shots and
Jared Robbins (Cotati, Calif.) added one.
The teams combined for 12 corner kicks - four each in the first half, with Oklahoma Wesleyan gaining a 3-1 edge in the second half.
Parrott was credited with a pair of saves in nearly 55 minutes of play before being relieved by
Arthur Lamparter (Schweinfurt, Germany), who played the final 35 minutes and made a pair of saves. The Bulldogs were also credited with a pair of team saves.
Luka Stojanovic made two saves a little over 70 minutes in goal for OWU. Jared Hall played the final 20 minutes, making one save and yielding Pescador's tally.
"[Oklahoma Wesleyan]Â was as good as advertised," said head coach
Doug Quint. "I was pleased with a lot of aspects of tonight's game. We competed well and had some nice moments. What we didn't do well was deal with crosses whipped into the box. It's certainly something we will address in training this week. Time to focus on Ottawa."
The Bulldogs play a pair of matches next week. A trip to Ottawa is on offer for Wednesday evening, while Southwestern visits McPherson on Saturday. Kickoff for the Ottawa match is slated for 7:30 p.m.
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