INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian men's soccer team grabbed their tenth win of the season in exciting fashion with a 1-0 shutout victory over St. Francis (Ind.).
Donovan Doolittle's 76th minute goal proved to be the game winner for the Knights, extending their record to 10-3-2 overall and 4-3 in Crossroads League play.
The first half was a battle between the two teams, with the ball moving fairly even across the pitch to start.
Alan Tenorio was the first to strike with a shot in the first 40 seconds, before
Kameron Hooker and
Kyle Alb put the St. Francis goalie to work early with their on target attempts. The Cougars were able to respond with their first shot of the night in the 11th minute, but once again it was the Knights putting pressure on the Cougar goalie after a header by
Agon Hoxha.
The two teams continued to go back and forth the remainder of the half, as both teams posted seven shots and the Knights led in corner kicks 3-1. With an even matchup between the two teams, the score would remain deadlocked at 0-0 after the first 45 minutes of action.
St. Francis came out aggressive to start the second half, firing off the first shot of the half. After a foul in the box by the Knights, the Cougars had a chance to take advantage and score the game's first goal on the penalty kick. However,
Juan Torres does what he does best and read the shot perfectly to deny the goal and keep his team at a 0-0 score. Unable to execute on the PK, St. Francis did not let up as they continued to make the Marian defense work with three quick shots moments later. Marian got a good look in the 66th minute from Doolittle, but the Cougar goalie was able to make the grab. The guests poured on a pair of shots, before Jones Schaefer found Doolittle on the cross who then booted it back netting to give Marian the 1-0 lead at the 75:14 mark.
With less than 15 minutes to play, the Cougars were in crunch time to find the tying goal. St. Francis put together a few last chances with a pair of shots and corners, but were unable to execute as the Marian defense held strong. Although the Cougars outshot the Knights 10-4 in the second half, Marian held on to pick up the 1-0 win.
In Marian's 11 shots, six were on goal. Alb led with three shots, while Hoxha took two, and Doolittle had Marian's one goal on his two attempts. Torres had a big night, grabbing eight saves in his full 90 minutes of action.
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