DEFIANCE, Ohio-- The Trine men's soccer team opened the season in strong fashion, earning a 3-1 victory over Defiance Tuesday afternoon at Winsper-Knobel Field.
Nick Lang (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) scored twice, including what would prove to be the game-winner. The performance was the first multi-goal effort of the senior's career. Bill Wilson (Mason, Mich./Mason) made his presence felt in his return to regular-season action on the pitch, picking up a pair of assists on the afternoon. Evan VanBelle (Edwardsburg, Mich./Edwardsburg) notched his first-career goal, while Kenny Rappuhn (Goodrich, Mich./Goodrich) added an assist. Trine opens the season 1-0, while Defiance falls to 0-1.
It didn't take long for the Thunder to get on the board, as Lang found the back of the net just 8:43 into the contest for his first goal of the day. Rappuhn picked up the assist on the tally.
The score would remain that way until 12:45 into the second half, when Lang tallied for second time. Lang's second goal of the night was assisted by Wilson.
Wilson was the dealer of Trine's final goal, as he connected with VanBelle off a corner. VanBelle was able to deposit the ball into back of the net for his first-career goal and a 3-0 Thunder advantage with just over 15 minutes to play in the contest.
Brian Kurtz scored Defiance's lone goal in the closing minutes as he deflected in a Thunder attempt to clear. The Yellow Jackets were held to just two shots on goal and seven shots overall on the afternoon. Trine got off 25 shots, including 11 on goal.
Ian Jindrich (Aurora, Ill./Metea Valley) earned the victory in his first-career start in net for Trine. Jindrich made one save in the effort.
The Thunder returns to action Saturday, Sept. 5 when they will face Marian (Wis.) in a tournament hosted by Illinois Tech. Match time is slated for 1 p.m. CDT.