On the strength of a three-goal second half, dominated by some new Pioneer faces, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville men’s soccer team beat the St. Norbert’s Green Knights 3-0 on Sunday at the Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium.
The Pioneers are now 4-3-3 on the year and 1-1 in the Wisconsin Collegiate Athletic Conference play.
After 45 minutes of a defensive struggle on both ends of the field, neither the Pioneers nor the Green Knights were able to score.
Five minutes into the second half freshman Jake Tyler scored an easy goal when the Green Knight’s goalie failed to clear his kick. Five minutes later senior forward Cameron Weess booted his second goal of the season in to put the Pioneers ahead 2-0.
Weess’ goal came in on an assist from freshman Emilio Lopez, and with ten minutes remaining in the match, Lopez sealed the victory by kicking in a 15-yard shot and ending the game with a 3-0 victory.
On Tuesday, UW-Platteville dominated Cornell College 9-0, tying their highest scoring output of the season.
Senior goalkeeper Ian Christensen posted his third straight shut out, his fifth shut out of the season.
The Pioneers scored four goals in eight minutes in the first half and went into halftime with a commanding 6-0 lead. Junior Hunter McMahon scored two goals, one of which drilled the post and found its way to the back of the net.
UW-Platteville scored early in the second half, then twice in the last four minutes of the match. Freshman Alex Bach matched McMahon with two goals, as seven different Pioneers scored.
The Pioneers continue to look for consistency on the offensive end and big stops on defense, but the production from the younger players is a positive sign for UW-Platteville as it hits the midway point in their season.
UW-Platteville returns home for a WIAC matchup on Sunday with rival University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, which will be the teams’ only meeting this season. That match begins at 2 p.m. at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium.
