The Marian Ancilla Men's Soccer team continued their strong start to the season, sweeping the two game series with Bethel University's Junior Varsity team, defeating the Pilots 3-1 on Wednesday evening. It was very hot for the first hour or so of the contest, but the Chargers managed to push their record to 3-1 for the first time since the 2021-2022 team began their season 5-0, on the way to an 11-4 finish that year.
Freshman midfielder Bawi Za Sang got the Chargers on the board in the 3rd minute of the game, scoring his first career goal on an assist from Sophomore Santiago Morales. The ball remained in the middle third of the field for much of the first half, however in the 22nd minute, Bethel managed to sneak up the right sideline, center it and even the score at 1-1.
MUAC wasn't done in the first period, though, as they managed a quick strike in the 34th minute, with Morales again assisting, but this time it was Freshman Victor Rodriguez on the receiving end, scoring the first goal of his career. The half finished without another real threat from either team, and the Chargers went in leading, 2-1.
The second half seemed to be filled with a lot more action in the first 30 minutes, but only the Chargers were able to post a score when Freshman Hein Lin found the back of the net in the 59th minute for his first career goal, putting the Chargers ahead by a 3-1 tally. Once again, Sophomore Santiago Morales came up with the assist, making that three for him in the game and now seven points for him in four matches already this season.
The last 20 minutes were a bit contentious, as the game took on a much more physical tone. Unfortunately for the Chargers, they drew an immediate red card in the 70th minute on an aggressive play on the ball, while Bethel then managed three yellow cards of their own over that final stretch of the game. All in all, MUAC continues to improve heading into a big match this Saturday, plus Redshirt Freshman goalkeeper Trent Platz was once again solid tracking down shots on goal.
Head Coach Kirk Weiss was once again pleased with his team's performance, stating, "It was good to have a game where we controlled time of procession, before we head into conference play this weekend. The guys have really improved so far this season and are playing really good team ball at the right time. We had three different goal scorers, but all three were assisted by Santiago Morales." Coach was also impressed with another Sophomore, plus his team's resilience, "Marek Robinson also really stood out tonight with his strong play in the midfield for us. After an unfortunate red card, the guys really came together and didn't back off, even a man down. We got better today, and now we turn our focus onto conference play this Saturday."
The Chargers are back in action this Saturday when they host St. Clair County Community College in an MCCAA (Michigan Community College Athletic Association) contest. This will be MUAC's third of seven consecutive home contests, and kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. on the Plymouth campus. Please come out and support the Chargers, as they attempt to begin their conference season strong!!
