ADRIAN, Mich.-- The Trine men's soccer team picked up a key, 4-2 victory at Adrian in MIAA-action Wednesday night at Docking Stadium.
Nick Lang (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) had a hand in all four Thunder goals, notching his second multi-goal effort of the season and dishing out two assists. The six-point effort was the first for any Trine player since 2012. Bill Wilson (Mason, Mich./Mason) made an impact in his return to the lineup with a goal and an assist. Trine improved to 6-8-1 overall and 3-6 in the MIAA. The victory leaves the Thunder just one point out of the race for the fourth and final MIAA playoff seed. Adrian is now 4-8-2 overall, 3-5-1 in conference play. The Bulldogs hold the number four spot in the league standings.
Adrian scored just over four minutes into the match to get things started as Brandon Katona got the Bulldogs on the board. Shayan Shushtari and Mark Proctor picked up assists.
Lang answered with his first goal of the night off a shot from in the box. Brandon Villanueva (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) picked up one assist, while Wilson added the other. Villanueva notched a career-high two helpers in the contest.
Wilson gave the Thunder the lead at the 25:22 mark of the first half. Lang picked up the first of his assists. Wilson has been an impact player when on the field as he has notched multiple points in two of the three matches he has played in this season.
Lang's second goal of the night stretched the lead to 3-1 with 8:03 to play in the second half. The goal gave the senior seven tallies on the season. He is now second in the conference in overall scoring, with 20 points (7 G, 6 A). Lang is now fifth in scoring at Trine in the Division III era (2004-present), with 32 career points.
Ben Moricz (Valparaiso, Ind./Wheeler) added a shot from the far left wing off Lang's final assist to give the Thunder another insurance goal. Moricz has notched four goals this season after appearing in one match last year. Trine has won three of the four matches in which Moricz has scored this year.
Crystal Brown added a late goal for the Bulldogs for the final margin.
Trine returns to action this Saturday, Oct. 17 at Kalamazoo. Kickoff is slated for noon.