WAUKESHA, Wis. – The St. Olaf College men's soccer team scored all five of its goals in the second half of a 5-0 non-conference road win over Carroll University on Sunday afternoon at Schneider Stadium.
For the second consecutive game, St. Olaf (3-0-1) was held scoreless in the first half before coming alive in the second half, resulting in the shutout victory in its second-ever meeting with Carroll (2-2-0). Prior to Sunday, the only meeting between the Oles and Pioneers was a 3-1 St. Olaf victory in the opening round of the 2011 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship.
St. Olaf got goals from five different sources, as junior
Abdirasak Bulale, senior
Dimitri Nair, sophomore
Willy Vargas Jr., and sophomore
Kymani Chitulangoma all four the back of the net, in addition to a Carroll own goal. Vargas added an assist to his first collegiate goal.
Just like Friday night's 3-1 win at Bethany Lutheran College, Bulale broke the deadlock inside the first three minutes of the second half, as the junior blasted a rebound off a shot by classmate
Ryan Bechtel into the roof of the net. Bechtel's assist was his fourth in as many games this season and the 21st of his career, a total that ranks ninth in program history.
Less than four minutes after Bulale's opener, Nair tallied his first goal of the season by slotting the ball inside the far post from the left side of the box after receiving a pass from sophomore
Charlie Piller. The Oles stretched their lead to 3-0 in the 65th minute when a Carroll defender tried to clear the ball after senior
Caspar Olseth flicked on a long throw-in by Bechtel but blasted the ball into the back of his own net.
Vargas Jr. played a role in the final two goals of the game over the last 20 minutes, including tucking the ball inside the far post after sophomore
Ryan Wilson cut the ball back to Vargas Jr. from the right end line. Wilson earned the first assist and point of his collegiate career on the goal.
Fifteen minutes later, Chitulangoma scored on a back-post header off a cross from Vargas Jr. to close out the scoring in the 87th minute with the third goal of his career.
St. Olaf held a 2-to-1 advantage in shots in the game (26-13) and outshot Carroll by a 13-4 margin in shots on goal. Senior
Jack Hobday recorded the first shutout of his career by stopping all four shots on goal the Pioneers mustered, while Jason Brunger had nine saves for the hosts in the loss.
The Oles' four-game road stretch will continue with a 5 p.m. kickoff at Central College on Tuesday, Sept. 9.