The Dominican University men’s soccer team breathed a sigh of relief as Edwin Lagunas (Waukegan, Ill.) broke a scoreless tie in the 75th minute to give the Stars a 1-0 advantage over the Lakeland College Muskies on Saturday afternoon to improve to 8-0-0 on the season and 3-0-0 in Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) play.
Ten minutes later Tyler Mercier (Freeport, Ill.) tallied his first goal of the season and it proved to be the game-winner.
The Muskies, content to play for the tie, played ten guys behind the ball for most of the contest but made the most of their lone scoring opportunity, with Ben Koepsell finding the back of the Stars’ net in the 87th minute. It was just the second goal of the season scored on the Stars and the first in three NAC contests.
Dominican dominated the stat sheet, outshooting the Muskies 29-1 and putting 14 shots on frame compared to just one shot on goal for Lakeland. The Stars also held a 15-0 advantage in corner kick opportunities.
Lakeland’s Alex Piekarski posted 11 saves in goal for the Muskies while Dominican’s Maxwell Gutbrod (Slinger, Wis.) improved to 7-0-0 in goal for the Stars, making his seventh start of the season.
The Stars return to the pitch on Tuesday, hosting the Benedictine University Eagles in NAC play. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on Dominican’s West Campus Field.
