BLUFFTON, Ohio – In their first road match of the season, the Trine University men's soccer team was in action against Bluffton University Wednesday evening and brought home a 1-0 victory.
The Thunder won their fourth consecutive match and are now 4-1-0 in 2022. The Bluffton Beavers now hold a record of 1-1-2 following the loss. After being outshot 12-4 in the first half, Trine dominated possession in the second half en route to the victory.
The action was fast and furious from the opening whistle. The Beavers took three shots in the first three minutes before Liam Zimmerman and Tyler Murphy each made attempts for the Thunder in the 4th and 5th minutes.
In goal, junior Aidan McGonagle made seven saves in a scoreless first half, including a trio of big stops in the 17th, 18th and 30th minutes. He made back-to-back saves near the end of the period on headers by Bluffton to add to his total.
Junior Joey Donovan forced the Beaver goalkeeper to make a play on his shot coming out of halftime, and Murphy would send another shot on goal in the 63rd minute, but at that point, the match remained without a score.
It was not until the 67th minute where the opening would come for Trine. Shortly after McGonagle sent away a kick from the opposing box, the Thunder used precise passing to get inside and score. Junior Francesco Mazzei found freshman Evan Komrska on the left side and he put one passed the keeper in the upper left corner of the net to make it 1-0. For Komrska, it is his first career goal on just his second shot of the season.
The Thunder stayed on the attack trying to add insurance, and the defensive unit of McGonagle, Gavin Hardy and Jared Cromwell preserved the clean sheet for the second time this season. McGonalge made a season-high seven saves in total.
After a one match hiatus from Angola, Trine returns home on Saturday, September 17 against Manchester University. The matchup with the Spartans will take place at 11 am on Shive Field.