box score
Men's Soccer vs. DWU 083112 Gallery
FORT WORTH, TX: The Texas Wesleyan University men’s soccer team (1-0) opened the season with a 4-1 win over Dakota Wesleyan University (0-1) at Martin Field Friday.
The Rams wasted no time as
Hector Vargas dropped a beautiful ball into
Marin Jonjic who skipped it past Alex Ek in the Tigers goal in the third minute to take an early 1-0 lead.
After the early goal, both teams played slow, as if trying not to make a mistake. Half way through the first half the game picked up as both teams connected more passes. Dakota Wesleyan could make no head way against the Ram defense as the back was solid. The frustrated Tigers tried to make longer runs that got them disorganized.
The Rams caught the Tigers off guard in the 32nd minute with a
Ivan Kovacevic goal from
Alexander Ellis to make it a 2-0 game. The Rams took the 2-0 lead to half time as the Tigers looked a step behind Texas Wesleyan on the pitch.
The Tigers came out with intensity and it showed as Dakota Wesleyan’s Hugo Gonzalez put one in the back of the net off of a deflection and a botched defensive assignment. That brought the lead to 2-1 with most of the second half still to play.
The Rams got it right back when Jonjic found some open space. He took a shot, but Ek came up with a save. Kovacevic got the rebound though, and put a chip shot in for his second goal of the game and a 3-1 Texas Wesleyan lead.
The Rams put an insurance goal in the late goings off of a Kovacevic corner that found
Raphael Oliveira Sicolin's foot for the goal and a 4-1 lead.
Texas Wesleyan held the lead and finished the game 4-1 in the season opener behind aggressive offense and solid defense despite the Dakota Wesleyan goal.
Head coach Tyler Powell knows the importance of a season opener win, “It was good to get started off with a win, and we did score in the first five minutes which is something we are constantly preaching, but we have a lot of work to do.”
The Texas Wesleyan men's soccer team presented members of D McRae elementary school with 2 boxes full of balls, scrimmage vests, shin guards, and pop-up goals, before their home opener. Members of D McRae's team also led the Rams our before the game and led the team in their cheer. During the game they served as ball boys. Coach Elliot of D McRae served the men's soccer team and Coach Powell with a plaque for the teams continued support of the elementary school program. In the spring, the men's soccer team hosted a free clinic for members of the D McRae Tigers and surprised them with a pizza dinner at the conclusion of their season.
"I am proud of the impact that our players make on these young lives. It gives the little guys something to look forward to and to set a goal. It also puts our players in a position to be a positive role model, in which some of the elementary schoolers don't have outside of their school environment. All around it helps us become better people while impacting the lives of others."
The Rams will travel to Plainview, TX to take on Wayland Baptist on September 7. That game set for a 5:00 p.m. start.
