The men’s soccer team opened the season with a convincing
home victory over regional opponent Lincoln Christian College, 17–0.
Freshman Josh Conover scored the Pioneer’s first goal of the
season in the third minute of play when he redirected a corner kick and found the
back of the net. Lincoln Christian responded well after the goal, keeping the
1–0 margin for the next twenty minutes. The flood gates opened, however, as
Northland found their rhythm again and were able to score nine goals over the
final twenty-three minutes of the first half to take a 10–0 lead into the break.
The second half saw Lincoln generate several opportunities,
but they were denied by senior Dave Bartholomew and freshman Andrew Martin who
combined to make four saves and record the shutout. The potent attack of Northland was again
evident in the second half as Northland was able to record seven more goals
coming mostly from the Northland bench. The Northland offense was led by senior
captain Daniel Doran who recorded four goals and two assists. Perhaps the most
exciting news for Northland fans was the strong performance of the new
members of the Northland squad. Freshmen Josh Conover, Josh Netz, Luke Ortler,
Mark Romig, and Caleb Salsman combined for nine goals and eleven assists. Also
recording goals for Northland were Jason Lorch, Ben Cummins, and Andy
Gibbons.Lincoln’s goalkeeper, Chris
Strohbeck, recorded sixteen saves on a whopping fifty-four shots by Northland.
Northland next travels to Chicago to take Robert Morris
College of Lake County on Tuesday, August 31, at 4 p.m. (CST).