The Dominican University men’s soccer team, ranked fourth in the nation in Tuesday’s National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) NCAA Division III Poll, remained perfect on the season with a 3-0 win over the Aurora University Spartans on the road on Wednesday afternoon.
Dominican’s Leo Elizalde (Wheeling, Ill.) set the tone for the match, scoring what proved to be the game winner in just the third minute on the Stars’ first shot of the game. Sophomore Ryan Roberts (Elmhurst, Ill.) picked up his 11th point in the last three games, as he slid a ball through the Spartans’ defense to set up Elizalde for his fourth goal of the season.
The Stars appeared primed to take a two-goal lead into the half as Aurora’s Mike Emma was cautioned for a handball in the box, but #Mike Kapusta’s# (Bartlett, Ill.) penalty kick attempt was saved by the Spartans’ Kevin Soderstrom and the score remained 1-0 into the break.
In the second half, freshman Petar Milenkovich (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) gave the Stars some breathing room, tallying his third goal of the season. Sophomore defender Andy Lynch (Hawthorn Woods, Ill.) picked the first of two assists in the game on the play.
In the 88th minute, junior forward Lio Tovar (Cicero, Ill.) capped the Stars’ scoring with his third goal of the season.
Dominican’s Maxwell Gutbrod (Slinger, Wis.) picked up the win in goal for the Stars, posting his eighth shutout of the season while improving to 10-0-0 on the season. Gutbrod, making four saves in the contest, now boasts the nation’s sixth-best goals against average at 0.20.
The Stars will return to action on Saturday, traveling to Mequon, Wis., to take on the Concordia University Wisconsin Falcons in NAC action. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
