Box Score RIO GRANDE, Ohio -- No. 1 Rio Grande (Ohio) pulled out a 3-1 victory over No. 9 Indiana Wesleyan University men’s soccer in a match pitting two Top-10 programs. The match played in Rio Grande, Ohio was a rematch of last season’s NAIA National Championship quarterfinal contest.
MATCH VITALS
- Score: Indiana Wesleyan 1-3 Rio Grande
- Records: Indiana Wesleyan 1-1-0 | Rio Grande 3-0-0
- NAIA Top- 25 Rank: Indiana Wesleyan - No. 9 | Rio Grande - No. 1
- Location: Evan E. Davis Field | Rio Grande University | Rio Grande, Ohio
MATCH MOMENTS
- Rio Grande held a 15-10 advantage in shots and a 7-4 advantage in shots on goal.
- Wildcat keeper Lucas Fancello made four saves in net.
- The Red Storm scored goals 1:17 apart to capture a 2-0 lead before the match was 10 minutes old.
- Jacob Singer scored with 10 minutes left in the opening half to cut the deficit in half at 2-1.
- Rio Grande added an insurance goal in the 62nd minute.
WILDCAT GOALS
COACH SANFORD SAYS…
- Thoughts about the team performance…
“Tonight was a great learning experience for our group who is relatively new and young. Rio Grande is so organized and just give you nothing. We started too slow and gave up preventable goals early. Once we adjusted and got a groove I thought we were very much in the game.”
- On scheduling the defending champions and top-ranked team…
“We don’t have to schedule games like this but we do so that we learn things about ourselves. We will learn, improve, and grow from this game. I’m proud of our resolve and spirit for much of the game.”
UP NEXT FOR MEN’S SOCCER
- Indiana Wesleyan makes their home debut for the 2016 season on Thursday vs. Olivet Nazarene (Ill.). That match begins at 7 p.m. at Wildcat Field.
