LAKEWOOD, CO – With each victory, the excitement grows.
Despite playing with 10 players a majority of the season half, the Colorado Christian men's soccer team posted a 3-1 victory over MSU Denver on Sunday afternoon.
It is the eighth win of the season in the 10 games for the Cougars while moving to 2-2 in conference games.
HOW IT HAPPENED: In the sixth minute Tobi Osifodunrin opened the scoring. The freshman beat MSU Denver goalie Brady Mangel to the ball and his shot rolled into the net from 20 yards out. Eli Donaho got the assist with his big ball over the top.
It looked as if that the Cougars built a 2-0 lead when Silas Hess scored but was whistled for being offside as the ball tickled the twine. Colorado Christian did get their two-goal lead, in the 42nd minute. Gabe Roloff won a 50-50 ball in the box then blasted it past Mangel. Freshman Caleb Dodge earned the assist on his cross from the left side.
MSU Denver pulled within a goal when Gianni Steijlen scored on a blast from 30 yards out in the 51st minute. The Cougars got their two-goal advantage back just minutes later. Liam Lakey scored his team leading sixth goal of the season when he beat Mangel one-on-one in the 55th minute. Lakey's goal was created after a nice pass from Adrian Diez.
The complexation of the game changed when Diez earned his second yellow card and the Cougars were forced to play with 10-men the remainder of the game.
During those 30-plus minutes with an extra attacker, the Roadrunners put a handful of shots on goal but Cougar goalie Michel Pinoncely made each save to secure the victory. Moreover, the Colorado Christian offense was able to pressure that Roadrunners defense despite being a man down.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Lakey and Osifodunrin each had a team high three shots
- The eight wins is the most for the program since 1999 (9)
- The win snaps a five-game losing streak against MSU Denver
UP NEXT: The Cougars host Regis at Trailblazer Stadium on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m.
