GOSHEN, Ind. – The 15th-ranked Madonna University men's soccer team received goals from Ludvick Asigo and Leonardo Abonizio, along with stellar goalkeeping from Joe Smith, in their 3-1 season-opening victory over Goshen College on Tuesday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED: No. 15 Madonna (1-0) 3, Goshen (0-1) 0
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The Crusaders had the games' first scoring chance in the 13th minute as Kazuya Odawara was awarded a penalty kick, but Maple Leafs keeper Tomas Fonseca made a nice save to keep MU off the board.
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13 minutes later the Blue and Gold were able to convert as Asigo struck a free kick into the back of the net from the top of the 18-yard box for the early lead.
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Then with time ticking down, just eight seconds remaining in the opening 45, Marlon Freitas received the ball far post on a set piece from the corner, crossed the ball near post to Abonizio who finishes from inside the six-yard box for the two-goal advantage.
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Madonna's third goal came via unusual circumstances in the 53rd minute as the Crusaders attempted to cross a ball through the box, but it was deflect by the home team into the net for a 3-0 lead.
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The lone Goshen tally came in the 57th minute as Madonna was called for a hand ball in the box and GC's Murray Cockburn was able to beat Smith on a PK for the final margin, 3-1.
COACH'S CORNER
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"Joe was the man of the match, in my opinion. We tried some different lineup combinations tonight and really made him work more than he should have, but he played very well tonight and helped win us that game." - Head Coach Mark Zathey on goalkeeper Joe Smith's performance
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"Our back line played well tonight...I felt we left some opportunities on the field, but it was a good performance...Rodrigo [Sigueira] and Kazuya [Odawara] both played well in the midfield for us. Neither is really game-ready yet, but both played well the first time out." - Zathey on the defense, the offense and key midfielders.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
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Madonna improves to 5-1 all-time against the Maple Leafs and has won the last five meetings by an 11-1 margin
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The Crusaders attempted seven shots with five on frame while Goshen took 12 and placed seven on frame
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MU's corner kick tally was the lone attempt in the first half and one of three in the contest
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Asigo paced the offense with three shots, two on frame and his first goal of 2018
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Abonizio scored in his Madonna debut on the lone shot he attempted
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Smith played all 90 minutes in net and made four saves in the contest
MILESTONES TO WATCH
UP NEXT
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The Blue and Gold continue their five-game road trip to begin the year with a trip to Huntington, Indiana to face Huntington University on Saturday, Aug. 25 at 5 p.m. Live video of the contest will be available here.
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