McPherson, KS – The McPherson College men's soccer team has their first winning streak of the season. The Bulldogs, 4-6-3 overall, 4-2-2 KCAC, defeated the Sterling College Warriors at home on Wednesday night, giving them two wins in as many matches.
The Bulldogs admittedly didn't play their finest soccer against the Warriors on Wednesday, but they did played well enough to secure the victory. They jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the first half when
Sean Thomson threaded a ball, from the midfield, to the foot of
David Mwinga, just across the 50 yard line. Mwinga, who on most nights is one of the fastest guys on the pitch, used his quickness to get behind the Warrior defense. He collected the ball and went 1 v 1 with the Warrior goal keeper. As the keeper made his move, Mwinga played the ball with the outside of his right foot and into the side netting.
The Bulldogs had a few more solid chances in the final 27 minutes of the first half, but they were unable to make the most of their opportunities. They were forced to settle for a 1 goal advantage as they headed to the locker room for the halftime intermission.
After the break, the Mac men came out a little flat and somewhat lax mentally. Fourteen minutes into the half, the Bulldogs turned the ball over in the midfield, along the far sideline. The Warriors' Luis Inguez played a ball to teammate Ramon Lopez, who lofted a ball toward the goal from about 30 yards out.
Thomas Kleywegt (Jr. Gravesend, England), the Bulldog goal keeper miscalculated, thinking the ball would sail harmlessly over the goal out of bounds. Instead, it drifted over his head and fell short of the crossbar bouncing into the back of the net, tying the game at 1.
The Warrior equalizer seemed to serve as a wakeup call for the Bulldogs. In the 74
th minute,
Hernan Maldonado (Sr. National City, Calif.) played a ball from his central midfield position in behind the Warriors' outside back.
Chris Kelly (Sr. Glasgow, Scotland), was sprinting down the far sideline and met up with the ball about 10 steps in front of the end line. Kelly sent a left footed cross in front of the goal, near the 6 yard box where
Sadam Ali (Sr. Tucson, Ariz.), was waiting, having timed his run perfectly, from the far post, He beat his defender, got in behind the Warrior net minder, and buried the ball in back of the net for what would ultimately turn out to be the game winner.
"It certainly was nice to get a win on a night when you aren't playing your best football", said MC head coach
Doug Quint. "We have played a lot of games this season where we were the better team and didn't get the result."
The Bulldogs will look to extend their winning streak to three games when they go on the road this Saturday against Saint Mary University, in Leavenworth, Kansas. Kickoff is slated for 8:00 pm following the women's game.
