By Matthew Hunter
Contributing Writer
The Asbury University Men’s Soccer team had the ideal start to the month of October with a 5-1 win over KIAC opponent Berea College Tuesday night. The match held a little more significance than most, as itwas the Eagle’s first win against a KIAC team this season. The win brings Asbury above five hundred for the season with a 5-4 record overall and 1-1 in conference play.
The goals came early and often for the Eagles whichbegan in the thirteenth minute. Asbury kicked off the game with a beautiful goal from a corner kick taken by junior Billy Congleton. Asbury earned a corner kick after Berea kicked the ball out of bounds past their own goal.
Congleton would proceed to take the corner and make the most of it. Congleton curved the ball into the box, then fellow junior Stephen Mitchell went flying in the air to get his head on the ball directing it into the net.
The second goal came just five minutes later when freshman Austin O’Brien dribbled down the left side of the pitch, then passed it into sophomore Jesse Peterson for the goal. The play marked O’Brien’s sixth assist on the season and Peterson’s third goal on the year.
The Eagles started the second half with a comfortable 2-0 lead, and there was no room to be complacent. However, the Mountaineers struck goal in the fifty-first minute. Berea junior Storie Ratcliff took advantage of Asbury goalie John Burns’ critical mistake.
Burns charged out of the box hoping to clear the ball, but he mistimed the ball and it would get passed him giving Ratfliff enough time to race down the ball andkick it in with an open net. Berea was now one shot down and in the game again.
That was until Asbury hit their stride for the remainder of the game.
Asbury’s Peterson found the net for the second time on the night with a goal in the fifty-sixth minute. Peterson beat two Mountaineer defenders on the dribble then struck the ball mightily with his left foot making it 3-1 Asbury. Jesse’s second goal of the match would also mark his fourth on the season tying him with Austin O’Brien for third on the team.
Approximately one minute later, Asbury once again broke down the Mountaineer defense for the Eagles’ fourth goal. O’Brien raced down the left of the field, threaded a needle on a pass to the right side wing junior Adam Howard, then he kicked it in for the goal. Howard’s goal was
his fifth on the season securing second place on the team for goals scored behind junior Garret Davis who has eight. Also, the assist was O’Brien’s second on the night and seventh on the season.
The final goal came from Congleton who added on to his already impressive stat sheet for the night. Congleton scored the finalinsurance goal of the night in the seventy-sixth minute.
Asbury dominated shots all night leading the category with a score of 24-8. John Burns, who was starting in place for injured junior goalie Griffin Appel who has a separated shoulder saved four shots for the Eagles. The win over Berea improved Asbury’s record to 17-1 against the Mountaineers since 2001. In the eighteen contests since 2001, Asbury has been on the positive side of a 60-15 scoring advantage over Bereaincluding five games in which the Eagles scored five or more goals.
Asbury’s next home game is in a week when they take on St. Catherine College at 7 p.m. on Oct. 8.