GOSHEN, Ind. - No. 10 Indiana Wesleyan Men's Soccer traveled to Goshen College to take on the Maple Leafs on Saturday. The Wildcats picked up their third Crossroads League victory as they took down Goshen 2-0. IWU opened the first half with strong offensive pressure. Despite several early shots, including attempts by Diego Palma and Mariano Chaves, they were unable to find the back of the net due to saves by GC. The Wildcats persisted, earning multiple corner kicks throughout the half. Eliass Elfasoukhi gave IWU the 1-0 advantage late in the first half after an assist across the field from Taha Houssni in the 39th minute. Goshen did not register a shot in the first half as IWU played great defense. The second half commenced with IWU maintaining its edge over the Maple Leafs. Despite a series of offensive attempts from Goshen, including several shots off target, the Wildcats held firm defensively. Kai Hasekll extended the lead in the 82nd minute courtesy of a Guzman Trigo assist. GC had an opportunity to close the gap with a penalty kick in the 85th minute, but the kick went high and the Wildcats held the lead till the end.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Goshen, Ind. | Goshen College Soccer Complex
- Records: IWU: 8-2-3 (3-0-2) | GC: 6-4-3 (0-3-2)
- NAIA Top 25 Poll: IWU - #10 | GC - Unranked
WHAT HAPPENED
- The Wildcats broke the deadlock late in the first half as Eliass Elfasoukhi scored his fifth goal of the season, assisted by Taha Houssni.
- IWU played lockdown defense, not allowing a single shot for Goshen in the first period.
- Kai Haskell extended the lead to 2-0 late in the second half after an assist from Guzman Trigo.
- The Wildcats produced another shutout win, their 4th in a row and 5th of the season.
KEY WILDCATS
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 4: This win marks the 4th straight shutout for IWU and goalkeeper Kadin Wolfe.
- 5: Elfasoukhi scored his fifth goal of the season, tying Yarek Carnegie for the team lead.
- 9: The shot totals were close in the end as IWU had 9 and Goshen finished with 7.
REEB PERSPECTIVE
- "Not our sharpest game, but the effort and defending showed again," said Head Coach Matt Reeb. "Proud of different guys stepping up and contributing in new ways. We're happy for the 3 points and we will re-focus on what's ahead."
LOOKING FORWARD
- The Wildcats play four straight home matches starting with Mount Vernon Nazarene on Wednesday, October 15th at 6:30 PM.
- Links for tickets, video, and stats are available at IWUWildcats.com.
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