JOLIET, Ill. -- The University of St. Francis men's soccer team secured its first win of the season on Tuesday night with a 10-1 victory over Calumet College of St Joseph (Ind.). The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference victory extends the Fighting Saints' conference record to 1-2 on the year and 1-6-1 overall.
First Half
St. Francis dominated possession the entirety of the half and erupted for four goals, while not allowing Calumet (0-10, 0-3) any offensive on-target chances. Forward
Jonathan Mendez got the scoring going early for USF after he missiled a ball past the CCSJ keeper off a double assist from
Benisio Gamino and
Austin Dellezay from 20 yards out in the ninth minute of play. The authoritative goal would set the tone for the match as the Saints kept the offensive pressure consistent throughout the remainder of the 45-minute session. It only took St. Francis four more minutes to double its lead when
Antwan Esparza connected for a scoring strike off an assist from
Rogelio Valles at the 13:31 mark. In the 21st minute, the Crimson Wave defense was met with another USF offensive charge when
Peer Langenhuijsen scored USF's third goal of the contest. Calumet would get on the scoreboard shortly thereafter after a strong move from Alan Trejo produced an open look from four yards out to mark the score at 3-1. Before the half concluded,
Sergio Fernandez-Arango capped St. Francis' first half scoring with his successful shot at the 34:22 mark, which was assisted by
Bruno Silva. The Saints totaled an imposing 21 shots in the period with eight being on-goal.
Second Half
The second half showcased another strong performance from the St. Francis front line as the Saints accounted for 26 shots in the period. Gamino soon had his turn in the scoring parade, netting a goal in the 54th minute to up USF's advantage to 5-1 when Silva broke free of the CCSJ defense and sent a pass ahead that found Gamino, who connected it for the score from 10 yards out. Mendez scored his second goal of the night three minutes later when he accepted an assist from
Tristan Dean to connect for a scoring strike to extend the USF lead further. The next two goals would be credited to Esparza in his successful effort of completing a hat trick in the 75th and 77th minutes, respectively.
Samuel Arroyo would score a goal of his own after assisting Esparza's third goal of the night to end things at 10-1, but not before
Mason Mroz helped tally USF's ninth goal in the 81st minute when his cross allowed Langenhuijsen to fire his second goal of the game past the CCSJ keeper.
In total, USF registered an eye-popping 47shot attempts with 21 total on-target, while holding Calumet to seven shots for the match.
Merlijn van der Veen recorded his first win of the season in the net for the Saints after logging 90 minutes in the shutout.
Up Next
The Saints will match up against Governors State University on Saturday Oct. 4 at Joliet Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 pm.
You can keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on X @USFSaints.