Notables
-Buckton scored his 12th goal of the season
-CSS has now won 20 consecutive games against Martin Luther
-The Saints put 12 shots on goal, keeping up with their NCAA Division III leading average of 12.2
DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The College of St. Scholastica men's soccer team followed suit with the women's soccer team Saturday afternoon, defeating the Martin Luther College Knights by a score of 3-1 at Saints Field to secure another homecoming victory for CSS.
First Half
The Saints were the first team to provide action in front of the net, as
Alex Dodd (Lakeville, Minn./Burnsville HS) sent a shot towards Martin Luther keeper Caleb King at the five-minute mark. King made the save, however, and stopped the next shot that went his way two minutes later off the foot of
Darby Henderson (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS).
Henderson's next shot attempt wouldn't be stopped. At the 30-minute mark, after a Martin Luther foul in front of the net, Henderson was given a chance to open up the scoring with a penalty kick attempt. He did just that, beating the keeper high to give CSS a 1-0 lead.
Luke Buckton (Bath, England/Writhlington School) fired a shot at King later in the half, but the Martin Luther keeper bounced back after giving up the Henderson goal and stopped Buckton's shot. Martin Luther mustered their only shot of the half with 13 seconds left, as Justin Digman's attempt was saved by
Sandy Davidson-Hunt (Kenora, Ontario/St. Thomas Aquinas).
Second Half
CSS picked up where they left off in the first half, netting a goal just ten minutes after the opening whistle of the half. This time it was
Juan Ochoa (Chihuahua, Mexico/Prepa Tec) scoring for the Saints, which transpired after a beautiful spin move and pass by
Jacob Carson (Fairbanks, Alaska/West Valley HS). Buckton also assisted on the goal, improving his already impressive statistical season.
Four minutes later, after dishing a beautiful assist to Ochoa, Carson almost scored himself as he sent one top shelf that ricocheted off the crossbar. The Saints and Knights settled into a bit of a stalemate for the ensuing twenty minutes.
The stalemate was broken up by none other than Buckton in the 85th minute. After a pass from
Sam Brickley (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS), Buckton raced down the field and sent one past a sliding goalkeeper to put the Saints up 3-0 late in the game.
Martin Luther struck back 34 seconds later, breaking up the Davidson-Hunt shutout, as Luke Meihack netted his fourth goal of the season for the Knights. Henderson put two more shots on goal after the Martin Luther score, but neither of them trickled past the keeper and the final score read 3-1 in favor of the Saints.
Up Next
The Saints improve their record to 9-2 (7-0 UMAC) and will now travel to take on No. 7 St. Thomas on Sunday at 3 p.m.
