By: Illinois College outclassed Ripon on Sunday, limiting the Red Hawks to only two shot attempts in the match.
Box Score JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Soccer can be a tricky game because the final score can have a way of not showing just how dominant one team was on a particular day. Case in point, the Illinois College men's soccer victory over Ripon on Sunday. A goal from
Josue Hernandez in the 15th minute provided the Blueboys with the winning 1-0 margin, but IC was barely threatened throughout the match. At full time, Illinois College had a 17-2 advantage in shots, with the Red Hawks never sending a shot at IC keeper
Scott Workman in the match.
The opening minutes were largely played in Ripon's final third. When the breakthrough came from Hernandez in the 15th minute, it if anything seemed overdue.
Anthony Willard had the assist on a cross into the box that Hernandez leaped to get a head on and nod home.
IC's domination continued to the halftime whistle, though a second goal never came. Hernandez threatened again twice before the hour mark, once having a clear goal-scoring opportunity blocked before it could reach the net and a second time having a defender clear a goal-bound flick off the line before it could cross.
Cody Messerschmidt kept Ripon in the contest with five saves, but the Red Hawks didn't put a shot on target in the match and didn't even attempt a shot of any kind in the second half. Workman earned his seventh shutout of the season with a scoreless 90 minutes.
"After a difficult loss at home on Thursday, we had a chance today to put ourselves back on track and we did," said Head Coach
Tyler Sheikh. "Ripon competed well throughout, particularly in the first half. True to form, we met the challenge and fought hard to push for a goal. In the end, we might have hoped to find the net a bit more more, but to paraphrase Landon Donovan, scoring goals is the most difficult thing to do in soccer."
No matter how difficult it can be, the Blueboys have won four of their last six matches and gotten a result in five out of the past six. Now 7-4-2 (3-1-1 MWC), IC is back on pace in the conference race and will look to continue its push for a bid into the MWC Tournament on Oct. 18 when it plays Beloit College at 11 a.m.
