Warriors erupt in second half, crush Defenders
By Aaron Schneider
FOREST CITY – A five-goal second half fueled the Waldorf University men’s soccer team to a 6-1 victory over Dordt College during Tuesday’s home opener.
Waldorf (1-1) entered the match coming off Saturday’s 3-1 road loss to Midland University (1-0) and responded with the first win in program history over Dordt (0-2). The two teams first faced off in 2004, but the Warriors dropped the previous eight meetings.
“It was a great response to a tough loss last game,” Waldorf coach Michael Wilson said. “The team really came together and moved the ball well to break down Dordt’s defense.”
Freshman Kenolson Collin led the Warriors with six points, notching two goals and providing two assists. Junior Jean Bonnin turned in five points for Waldorf behind two goals and an assist. Sophomore Yan Arruda Caires added a goal and an assist while junior Robert Serrano also contributed a goal.
Alex Durbin accounted for Dordt’s lone goal.
Waldorf sophomore goalkeeper Humberto Figueroa saved 10 of the 11 shots he faced. Travis Viet recorded four saves for the Defenders.
The Warriors outshot Dordt, 21-18. Ten of Waldorf’s shots were on goal.
In a notably defensive first half, Bonnin capitalized as he rebounded his own shot and delivered the first goal of the night 37 minutes into the contest.
The defensive tone continued to show going into halftime as Bonnin’s two shots were the only two attempts on frame for Waldorf through the first 45 minutes of play. Regardless, the Warriors still maintained a one-goal edge at intermission.
Waldorf flipped the script in the second half right out of the gate as Collin struck with a breakaway goal only 24 seconds into the half. Fifty minutes into the match, Collin took a pass from Arruda Caires and tallied his second goal of the night, giving the Warriors a three-goal advantage.
It only took 76 seconds for Waldorf to score again. This time, Serrano found the goal off a cross pass from Collin to boost the Warriors to a 4-0 lead.
During the 54th minute, Durbin took a free kick from Stephens and headed it into the goal to cut Dordt’s deficit to three.
Bonnin added his second goal after Collin set him up for the score during the 69th minute, pushing Waldorf to a 5-1 lead. Arruda Caires produced the final goal 77 minutes into the contest following a pass from Bonnin.
Waldorf’s varsity reserve team cruised past the Defenders in a 5-1 victory. The Warriors were led by freshman Ralph Francois, who recorded two goals. Waldorf also received goals from senior Stephen Jenkins, junior Oscar Nieves and freshman Bruno Barbosa.
Senior Kurtis Aguilar started in goal for the Warriors and saved five of the six shots he faced.
Despite picking up a resounding win, there’s still plenty of work ahead.
“We have to keep improving and working hard to strengthen weaknesses,” Wilson said.
The Warriors resume action on Thursday against Bacone College (0-1) in a 1 p.m. neutral-site match up at Overland, Park, Kansas. With a convincing win over the Defenders, Waldorf is looking to continue the upward trend as the program aims to reach new levels of success.
“This is great momentum to take into Thursday’s game against Bacone,” Wilson said. “We will be looking for another strong performance and another win.”