Skip To Main Content

Houston Christian University Athletics

OFFICIAL SITE OF HCU ATHLETICS
HCU ATHLETICS
ESPN Plus Logo
MSOC - Curtis Dunn
Juan DeLeon Creative
1
Eastern Ill. EIU (2-7-2, 1-3-0)
4
Winner Houston Christian HCU (3-5-4, 1-1-2)
Eastern Ill. EIU
(2-7-2, 1-3-0)
1
Final
4
Houston Christian HCU
(3-5-4, 1-1-2)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Eastern Ill. EIU 0 1 1
Houston Christian HCU 1 3 4

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

MSOC: HCU races past EIU for resounding 4-1 win at Sorrels

Huskies pick up first OVC win as four different players hit the back of the net



HOUSTON —- HCU broke away from a 1-1 tie early in the second half with three unanswered goals, cruising to a resounding 4-1 victory over Eastern Illinois at Sorrels Field on Sunday afternoon. The win was the first in Ohio Valley Conference for the Huskies, who matched their season high for goals in a game.  

For the second straight game, the Huskies controlled the tempo from the get, and it's aggressive attack resulted in an 11-4 shots lead in the first frame. 

In the 29th minute, the Huskies were finally rewarded for their efforts. Sam Zeeman played a ball from midfield through the middle finding D'Alessandro Herrera just in front of the 18-yard box. Herrera gave a beautiful little flick to the right side where Ethan Giwa-McNeil opened his account by punching a shot across the face of EIU goalkeeper Chad Smith into the left corner of the net for a 1-0 HCU lead.
Just out of the intermission, the Panthers mounted a quick run, and Casey Welage found Kyle Kimberling for the score, and the game was leveled at one apiece just under two minutes gone in the second session.

The Huskies were not deterred however, and continued to push forward, and just three and half minutes later would find the back of the net once again. HCU would play the ball down the left side through Victor Velasco, and three nifty touches later, Hans Leza put the ball home for his second goal of the season and a 2-1 advantage.
 
The score would remain 2-1 for 20 minutes, until Ryan Okerayi muscled his way through the EIU defense and was brought down in the box, resulting in a penalty kick. The freshman from Houston would calmly scoot his PK past a diving Smith, giving him his fourth goal of the season and a 3-1 HCU lead.

Not quite done, the Huskies continued to push and in the 78th minute, Zeeman found Curtis Dunn in the front of the box off a free kick for a wicked crack off his right foot, giving the Huskies a 4-1 margin and putting the game to bed.
 
Giwa-McNeil and Okeraryi paced a 20-shot offense, each taking four cracks on goal. D'Alessandro Herrera had two assists, giving him five on the season and pushing his team-best point total to 15. 

Leza recorded his second goal of the season while Dunn notched his first. Zeeman picked up two assists out of the back and played his 11th full affair of the season in 12 outings. 

Jordan Santa Cruz made his second straight start in the woodwork, and picked up his first career victory with three saves. 

HCU improves to 3-5-4 on the season and 1-1-2 in the OVC, while Eastern Illinois drops to 2-7-2 overall and 1-3-0 in the league.

The Huskies hit the road for a pair of OVC games, this week with a quick turnaround in between. HCU will face Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri Thursday night, followed by a Saturday evening matchup with league-leader SIU-Edwardsville. 

#DawgsUp
Print Friendly Version