TULSA, Okla. - After
outshooting its opponents and coming up short on goals in the past two games,
the Green Bay (2-2-0) men's soccer team snapped its two-game losing streak with
a 3-1 road win over Oral Roberts (2-2-0) on Sunday.
The Phoenix attacked early in the contest, controlling the
ball the majority of the opening period at ORU Soccer Complex.
"The guys did a good job of gaining control of the game
early, which we've been struggling with," said head Coach Tom Poitras. "We need
to work on finishing and today we stressed the importance of taking the early
lead."
At the 13:27 mark in the first period, JC Banks (Milwaukee, Wis.) took Green Bay's third shot of the
contest. Oral Roberts' keeper, Andrew Techanchuk rebounded Banks' shot and wasn't
able to protect the empty net. As a result, freshmen Sam Krenzien (Wauwatosa, Wis.) put it in the empty net for his
first collegiate goal, giving Green Bay the early 1-0 lead.
"Sam performed well Friday at Missouri State and earned
himself a start today," said Poitras of Krenzien's performance. "He showed a
lot of composure in the box and finished well."
David Bernhardsson
(Tjorn, Sweden) and Dan Krueger
(Fridley, Minn.) were substituted into the game for Green Bay at 28:52 and made
a quick impact. 30 seconds after entering the game Krueger worked hard at the
end line to keep the ball inbounds. Krueger found Bernhardsson for his first
goal in a Phoenix uniform, boosting Green Bay's lead to 2-0.
The Phoenix outshot the Golden Eagles nine to seven, while goalie Ryan Wehking (St. Louis, Mo.) had one
save in the first 45 minutes of play.
Green Bay's second half started much like its first. The
Phoenix fired two shots early on before Tony
Walls (Wauwatosa, Wis.) found Krenzien with a long pass. Krenzien then
passed to Banks who had a very tough look at the goal from the left side, but
managed to land the ball in the upper right corner, sealing the 3-0 win.
"Our midfield play today by Walls and Tony Patterson (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) was great," commented
Poitras. "They dictated the tempo and pace of the game which helped us get off
to our quick start."
With just 30 seconds to play in the game, Oral Roberts'
Kalen Ryden prevented the shutout as he scored on Wehking.
The Phoenix outshot Oral Roberts 19-12 and 10-3 on goal. Green
Bay also led the way on corner kicks with eight, compared to ORU's three.
Green Bay will play its next four games at home beginning
with the Green Bay Soccer Classic Sept. 17. The Phoenix will host UNLV at 7:00
p.m. followed by Western Michigan at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 19.
