Mustang
SOCCER WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 8 A season-opening three-match home set concludes tonight, as North Star Athletic Association perennial powerhouse Bellevue University visits Elwood Olsen Stadium. Head coach Tom Maxon’s Morningside University men’s and women’s teams are both 1-1. The Bruins, coached by Mark HeathPreston on the men’s side and Tom White on the women’s side, stand 4-0-1 (men) and 3-2 (women).
THE SERIES BU’s women hold an 8-3-1 advantage on the Mustangs all-time. Mside did stop a five-match series skid last October on the road with a 1-0 victory. The last five men’s meetings have been relatively even, with Bellevue harboring a slim 3-2 edge. The Bruins held off a late Morningside rally a year ago, winning 3-2 at home, while the Mustangs toppled BU in a memorable match on the Elwood Olsen pitch in 2019, claiming a 2-1 overtime thriller.
THE MATCH-UP Through two matches, Mside’s men, due to the phenomenal actions of junior goalkeeper Bjarne Huth Sept. 5 in a 1-0 doubleovertime victory over Cardinal Stritch College, rank among the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ top 50 in shutouts (No. 40 – 1). The women’s program is part of the first 60 nationally in converted penalty kicks (one-for-one – No. 25), shots per match (18 – No. 43), and corner kicks (15 – No. 60). A Great Plains Athletic Conference – Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader gave fans in attendance their money’s worth on Sept. 5. As the clock ticked off the final precious minutes of a second overtime, the men’s crew, needing a rebound victory in a big way after a season-opening 5-1 loss to William Penn University, got just that. A free-kick from senior midfielder Noah Jorritsma cleared Cardinal Stritch’s defense packed around its net, and fellow senior midfielder Noah Aniser took a pinball off home and visiting players alike and just managed to sneak it past the line for the winner. The frantic finish enabled Huth a well-deserved victory. Diving for four critical saves against the Wolves’ potent offense, he forged a 107-minute, 49-second shutout, the sixth of his career. Junior forward Robin Thomala added his name to the leader’s list with four total shots. Visiting Cardinal Stritch College’s women, ranked among the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ preseason top
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