Pioneers Move to 3-0

MNU Men's Soccer had their home opener today, of sorts. After a move across town because of unplayable conditions at Pioneer Field, the Pioneers defeated the University of Jamestown 3-0. The clean sheet is their second in a row and once again this was a total team effort by the Pioneers.

An uncharacteristic slow start to the game for the Pioneers made you wonder if this would be an off day for the team. With both teams content with knocking the ball around the back, the opportunities around the goal in the first 30 minutes were few and far between. There were just 5 combined shots in the first 29 minutes and it looked like the halftime break might come with a scoreless deadlock. Dominic Harrington changed that in the blink of an eye. He took a quick sequence of passes from Eduardo Heringer and Matias Cabello and slotted the ball past the Jamestown goalkeeper for the opening goal.
 
The second half came to life in a much quicker fashion. With Jamestown looking to be a bit more direct in an attempt to get the equalizer, the game opened up a bit. MNU controlled much more of the possession in this half and they were creating more chances around the goal.  In the 61st minute, MNU extended their lead. Jonathan Taylor was fouled in the box after a set piece clearance was played back into the area by Clark Campbell. For the second game in a row, Tanner Hunjak stepped up to bury the ensuing penalty kick. Just 5 minutes later, Hunjak solidified his brace. A free kick from the wing was played in by his brother, Trae Hunjak, and the sibling connection paid off as Tanner flicked home from close range. With the Pioneers now in full control of the match the only question left was how many more they might score. Jamestown's goalkeeper, Lasse Binder, made sure no more goals would go past him. He came up with multiple saves in the final minutes to keep the score 3-0.

For the game, MNU outshot Jamestown 17-8, with shots on goal being 9-4. Binder had 6 saves in the match. MNU's Yann Passet had 4 saves in earning the shutout victory. Jamestown is now 1-3 on the year. MNU moves to 3-0. Next up is a trip across Kansas City on September 6 to face Park University at 7:00.