COSTA MESA, CA – Menlo still remains undefeated with a 7-0-5 overall record and a 4-0-1 record in conference play after taking down the Vanguard Lions in Costa Mesa, CA on Thursday afternoon. Menlo found the net first from Roy Rosenberg before the Lions were able to even things out in the 2nd half. But an offensive push from the Oaks resulted in a Mattia Celant game-winning goal in the 82' minute to secure the win!
Huge congratulations to Assistant Coach Matthew Tudor for earning his 100th win with the Men's Soccer program!
Celant's Late Game-Winning Goal Earns Victory Over Lions
Menlo added two more goals to their 31 total on the season. The first goal came in the 32nd minute of the match. Center Back Ian Brusewitz played the ball from the back line in the direction of the Oak's left back, Roy Rosenberg. The freshman had a Lion on his back at the top of the 18-yard box when Rosenberg quickly turned on his defender and got past on a breakaway. In a 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper, Roy composed himself and found the back post to score his third goal of the season.
The Oak's second goal came in the second half after Vanguard was able to even the score to 1-1 in the 71st minute. Menlo was pushing offensively most of the second half with 9 shot attempts fired. It was an Oaks throw-in on the left sideline during the 82nd minute when midfielder Axel Valle received the ball outside the 18-yard box. Valle served the ball into the box with Oak numbers crashing. Forward Mattia Celant was wide open at the back post for a simple tap-in finish to push the Oaks ahead. Celant was a substitute coming off the bench and managed to do Menlo a huge favor late in the match! Mattia has made an appearance in all of Menlo's matches this season and started 6 of them. He has continued to be a fierce leader on the pitch for the Oaks and offers offensive creativity in moments of need.
Menlo Pushes Offensively in 2nd Half
The Oaks held possession in their offensive third for most of the match against Vanguard. Menlo was able to shoot 13 shots with 8 of them being on goal and 9 happening in the second half. The Lions were only able to fire 9 shots, 4 being on goal. Goalkeeper Jo Krumsvik tallied 3 saves today in 90 minutes played. Krumsvik is now in the top 10 in the nation for Goals Against Average with .55 in 11 games played. He also leads the GSAC with a .800 save percentage and 24 total saves. The Oaks continue to perform well late in season play and are looking to be the top seed in the GSAC Championships which will be hosted on their very own Wunderlich Field in Atherton, CA!
Up Next….
Men's Soccer will round out their SoCal trip with a stop in Fullerton, CA to face off the Hope International Royals at 11am on Saturday, October 21st at OC Great Park.
