No. 12 Men's Soccer Earns Road Win Over No. 14 Columbia

Marshall, Mo., (Aug. 21, 2024)- The No. 12 Missouri Valley College men's soccer team opened its 2024 season with a road non-conference game in Columbia, Mo., against No. 14 Columbia (Mo.), Saturday evening.  The Vikings scored two early goals in the second half and earned a 3-1 victory.

Missouri Valley held the better of possession as the game got underway, creating the first shot on goal with just over eight minutes played.  Senior Forward Sam Green (London, England) tested the Columbia keeper, but the shot was saved.  The Cougars answered back just over three minutes later, as Junior Goalkeeper Cristobal Benitez Delgado (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) needed to make a save to keep the contest scoreless.  The Vikings had opportunities near the 19-minute mark, as both Green and Senior Midfielder Yoshiki Igarashi (Tokyo, Japan) had shots blocked in front of the CC goal.  The Cougars created another quality chance with nearly 27-minutes off the clock, as Benitez Delgado came up with another save.  One late chance came with just over four minutes to play before halftime, as an attempt from Junior Forward Leul Alfagame (Madrid, Spain) was saved by the CC keeper.  The teams went into the break tied without a goal.

The second half started with opportunities created by both teams in the opening eight minutes of play.  Green broke open the scoring with a goal after four minutes had been played, and Columbia nearly tied it less than one minute later, forcing Benitez Delgado into a save.  With five minutes off the clock, MVC extended its lead, as Green scored again to make it a 2-0 score.  The Cougars responded, and drew a foul inside the Viking box, resulting in a penalty kick.  Columbia took advantage of the spot kick, and scored to pull back to a 2-1 deficit with just over seven minutes off the clock.  Missouri Valley nearly extended the advantage near the seven minute mark, as Freshman Forward Oliver Baladi (Frederikssund, Denmark) had a shot kept out of goal by a defender, and Senior Defender Kazuki Hashimoto (Yokohama, Japan) put a shot on goal, which was saved.  Another chance was created by MVC over the next stretch, as a shot by Senior Forward Luka Perandija (Obrenovac, Serbia) was saved near the 62-minute mark.  The Cougars nearly tied the contest, forcing Senior Defender Jacob Adams (Nottingham, England) to push a shot away from the Viking goal, while Benitez Delgado made another save midway through the half.  The Vikings were able to extend their lead, with less than 18-minutes to play in the game, as Igarashi scored to make it a 3-1 contest.  Junior Midfielder Julius Kruger (Berlin, Germany) added a shot on goal, which was saved, near the 80-minute mark.  Columbia was unable to work down the deficit late in the half, and Missouri Valley earned a 3-1 win.

Leading the way for the Vikings was Green, who scored two goals, and now has 96 points in his career at Missouri Valley.  Igarashi added one goal.  Benitez Delgado made four saves.  Missouri Valley held a 20-18 edge in total shots, and led, 6-2, in corner kicks.

The win moves Missouri Valley to 1-0 on the season, while Columbia drops to 1-1 with the loss.

Up next, the Viking men's soccer team stays on the road, and travels to Bartlesville, Okla., for a non-conference game with No. 4 Oklahoma Wesleyan, Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Box Score-Click Here

About Missouri Valley College

Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.

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