ALEXANDRIA, La. – The Louisiana State University of Alexandria men's soccer team (1-0-0) took down Texas Wesleyan (0-1-0) behind goals from
Orin Mitchell and
Adam Sherwood.
The Generals were out shot 15-10, but finished with a 5-4 edge in shots on goal. They also were the beneficiaries of seven corners, while Texas Wesleyan managed just one.
"It's a special day for the program being the 10
th anniversary," LSUA Head Coach Mackenzie Young said. "Also a good day for us to open the season with a win. I'm really proud of the lads for sticking it through on a really hot day."
An early marker from Mitchell put the Generals ahead in the ninth minute, but LSUA had sustained early pressure already.
Joshua Angel Craven fired a shot in the fourth minute which was turned away from Alex Tonietto. After
Tomas Cabrera had a shot blocked in the eighth minute, Mitchell buried his chance in the box.
Sherwood had his first chance in the 10
th minute but sent it wide.
Javier Moscardo also had a near miss in the 15
th minute as the Generals offense continued to press.
Texas Wesleyan's first chance of the contest came in the 16
th minute. Chandler Brookins sent his shot wide.
Valeriu Tarlev made his first stop of the night in the 24
th minute, keeping the Rams' Fabricio Martinez off the scoreboard. He made two total stops on the evening.
The Rams found the equalizer in the 40
th minute, however. Diogo Stefane took a pass from Rudy Gonzalez and buried his shot in the back of the net.
A late headed effort from
Chaz Badeaux in the 44
th minute nearly gave the Generals a lead heading into halftime but after 45 minutes it was level at 1-1.
Moscardo was stymied in the 53
rd minute by a stop from Alex Tonietto. Six minutes later, a cross from
Joshua Angel Craven found Sherwood in the box and gave the Generals a 2-1 advantage.
Texas Wesleyan managed three chances from the 64
th minute through the 68
th minute. The Generals backline stood firm, parrying three consecutive chances. They added a fourth block in the 70
th minute.
LSUA held the Rams to just two shots in the final 15 minutes of play.
The Generals are back in action on Wednesday, August 20, as they travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi for a non-conference matchup against No. 20 William Carey University. Kick-off is slated for 7:00 PM.