Mankato, Minn. – The University of Dubuque men's soccer team traveled to Bethany Lutheran College on Sunday to take on the Vikings. The Spartans scored three goals to secure their first victory of the season, defeating the Vikings, 3-2.
The Spartans came out strong, generating several dangerous scoring opportunities in the opening minutes. In the 11th minute, the Spartans were awarded a penalty kick following a foul by the Vikings inside the penalty area. At 11:23,
Jameson Carl stepped up and converted the penalty, finding the lower left corner of the net to give the Spartans an early 1-0 lead. Just three minutes later, the Spartans nearly doubled their lead, but a shot hit the post. UD controlled the remainder of the first half heading into halftime.
The Spartans continued to control the game in the second half. At 47:00,
Jake Polacek received the ball just outside the penalty area and fired a powerful shot into the bottom right corner, beating the Vikings goalkeeper to extend the Spartans lead to 2-0. The Vikings cut the Spartans lead in half in the 58th minute, making it a 2-1 game. At 72:51,
Ryan Tapper scored his first collegiate goal, extending the Spartans lead to 3-1. The Vikings responded with another goal in the 75th minute to cut the deficit to 3-2, but the Spartans held strong for the remainder of the match to secure their first victory of the season.
Leading the way for the Spartans were
Jameson Carl,
Jake Polacek, and
Ryan Tapper, who each recorded a goal in the victory. The goal marked the first collegiate goal for both Polacek and Tapper. In goal,
Tyler Jerkins made four saves to help the Spartans secure the win.
Up Next
The Spartans will return home on Thursday, September 10 to face the College of St. Scholastica on Oyen Field. Kickoff for the match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
