Warriors power past Tigers, notch third straight win
Matt Oliver
FOREST CITY – Continuing to build momentum, the Waldorf University men’s soccer team used a dominant performance to roll to a 3-0 victory over Dakota Wesleyan University on Sunday.
It marked the third consecutive win for the Warriors (5-3) as they followed up the varsity reserve team’s two wins from Saturday.
“It’s been a great weekend for the men’s soccer program after our reserve team won twice and our first team continued the winning in a dominant performance,” Waldorf coach Michael Wilson said.
The Warriors fired up their offense to generate all three goals in the second half. Juniors Robert Serrano, Riley Gibson and senior Cristian Alvarez delivered goals, while freshman Anthony Henvey provided two assists.
Waldorf commanded the contest offensively, outshooting the Tigers (1-4) by a 28-8 margin. After firing 10 shots during the first half, the Warriors continued to intensify their attack with 18 shots in the final 45 minutes.
Lockdown defense also played a pivotal role for Waldorf, which held Dakota Wesleyan to just one shot on goal in the shutout.
“We were able to control the game and limit Dakota Wesleyan’s attacks,” Wilson said. “It was a well-deserved clean sheet.”
Humberto Figueroa recorded a save on the only shot he faced to secure the clean sheet. The sophomore goalkeeper from Santa Maria, Calif. now has two shutouts, which ranks fourth on Waldorf’s career leader list and third among single-season records.
Serrano struck first for the Warriors, scoring the match’s opening goal in the 52nd minute. Henvey, who was credited with the assist, made a pass that allowed Serrano to capitalize on an open field and advance on the right side. Serrano then cut back to the middle of the field to find the back of the net, launching the shot from near the 5-yardline.
Gibson extended Waldorf’s lead to two goals as he converted on a penalty kick during the 68th minute.
Alvarez tacked on the final goal in the 78th minute, and Henvey turned in the assist. Henvey made a 20-yard forward pass to Alvarez, who scored from the 10-yardline on the left side. Alvarez leads the Warriors with 10 points on the season. He is tied for first on the team with four goals and is tied for second with two assists.
Dakota Wesleyan utilized two goalkeepers in the loss. John Sutherland finished with five saves and allowed two goals while recording 74 minutes, 24 seconds in net. Gaston Miteff allowed a goal and tallied a save in the final 15:36.
Waldorf closed out the game with nine shots on goal. Sophomore Yan Arruda Caires and Gibson registered two shots on target each. Junior Jean Bonnin, freshman Widler Monestime, Alvarez, Henvey and Serrano also contributed shots on frame.
The Warriors return to action on Friday when they go on the road against the University of St. Mary (2-3) in a 6 p.m. kickoff at Leavenworth, Kan.