BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Two second-half goals propelled visiting Goshen (Ind.) past the Roosevelt men's soccer team, 2-0, at SeatGeek Stadium on Saturday.
The Lakers (2-2-0) were without leading scorer Albert Arabik and other key players due to injury, yet Roosevelt was up to the task of creating chances and playing stout defense for most of the match.
Roosevelt pushed the pace for most of the first half, led by freshman midfield engine Jose Rivera getting the ball into dangerous territory.
Keeper Mario Graciano and the defense kept most of the threats from the Leafs (2-4-0) from turning into scores as the sides went into intermission deadlocked with no score.
It wasn't until the 68th minute that Goshen broke through as Ollie Smith found Lucas Bontreger, who beat the back line and Graciano for a goal.
Things got chippy at the end as Roosevelt sought the equalizer. The Lakers unleashed 11 second-half shots, and four cards were issued in the second half.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, one of those was Eduardo Saucedo's second yellow, which became a red card and sent off the senior to force Roosevelt to play shorthanded for the final three minutes.
That's when Goshen put the game out of reach as Kristian Gecaj gathered a long ball, made a spin move and unfurled a shot that resulted in the Leafs' second goal.
Roosevelt will face a tough task at Stuart Field next Saturday, hosting defending national champion and top-ranked Central Methodist (Mo.) at 1 p.m.
