By: Despite a 23-11 advantage in shots on the night, Illinois College was shutout by the visiting Panthers.
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois College men's soccer team controlled possession, outshot its opponent, and generally just looked like the more complete, capable team on Tuesday night. Those attributes don't count on the scoreboard however, and Greenville University escaped England Stadium with a 1-0 win over the Blueboys. IC is now 4-4-0 on the season, while the Panthers move to 4-3-0.
Illinois College bombarded the Greenville goal repeatedly, only to come up empty against the Panther defense and goalkeeper Nick Holland. In the third minute,
Nick Copley stripped a defender and charged in on goal, but his tight-angle shot was pushed off-target. As the first half progressed,
Jonny Inez-Rodriguez forced a save from Holland and the Blueboys later fired off four shots in rapid succession, the first three of which were blocked before
Robbie Lopez could force Holland into action.
The first half remained scoreless until less than two minutes remained. After an Illinois College foul, Greenville was given a free kick just inside the IC half of the field. Edgar Bueno launched a long free kick and the ball bounced around the box until it came to Jonathan Moyo, who found the upper corner to beat
Ty Clearwater for the 1-0 lead.
The chances continued to come for Illinois College in the second half, but Holland was up to the task. After making two saves in the first half, Holland added four more after halftime. As time ticked away, none of his saves was more important than in the 82nd minute when he denied a near-post shot on the volley from
Collin Basler. A minute later, IC received some good fortune of its own when Bueno rang the crossbar from a free kick. In the final seconds, the Blueboys pressed forward and
Roger Mies had a throw-in sail deep into the 18-yard box. The ball caromed around until ending in front of goal, however the last-ditch attempt from
Nick Roth sailed just barely over the bar and time expired seconds later.
Illinois College ended with a 23-11 advantage in shots, including six on goal.
Brock Ziegemeier accounted for seven of those shots, while Mies had five. Clearwater ended with three saves on the night.
Illinois College begins Midwest Conference play on Sept. 23, hosting St. Norbert College from Sacred-Heart Griffin High School in Springfield. First kick is slated for 3:30 p.m.
