On Saturday, Nov. 14, the 12th ranked and second-seeded LIU Post men’s soccer team defeated Wilmington University, which was ranked no. 6, by a score of 6-0 to advance to the third round of the NCAA Division II Championship. The Pioneers led by a midway through the first half and a four goal half in the latter stanza.
In the 23rd minute, still with no goals for either team, junior back Joey Forgaard got the action going with a header off a corner kick from senior midfielder Matais Ruiz. That goal came just six minutes before the next tally from LIU. This time, the Pioneers were awarded a penalty kick and graduate midfielder Tom Bowen converted, giving his team a two-goal lead.
In the second half, it was more of the same from the Pioneers, as four more goals were added, compared to none for Wilmington. Goals via sophomore back Oliver Hollingseater, sophomore midfielder Harry Pearse, junior forward Johann Kristjansson, and the aforementioned Ruiz made it a safe bet to put this match on the left side of the ledger for LIU.
The Pioneers were the aggressors, outshooting their opponent at a clip higher than 4-1. Wilmington totaled just five shots against a stout Pioneer defense. Of those five shots, none of them were on target, giving junior goal keeper Jesper Malmstrom an easy day between the pipes. It was his 13th win of the season and his fifth shutout.
Head LIU Post soccer coach Andreas Lindberg and his team are back in action on Saturday, Nov. 21, when they play top-seeded Southern New Hampshire University. Their opponent, ranked third in the nation, suffered only one loss the entire season and hasn’t allowed a goal in five matches. The Pioneers, who are battle tested, are riding high though. They have notched 15 goals in their last three games.
This article was originally published in the Pioneer, the award-winning student newspaper of LIU Post, www.liupostpioneer.com, and is republished here by Blank Slate Media with the permission of the Pioneer
