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Utah Tech University Athletics

Celly
Gonzaga Athletics
1
Winner Utah Tech UTU (2-5-0, 0-0-0)
0
Gonzaga GON (3-6-0, 0-0-0)
Winner
Utah Tech UTU
(2-5-0, 0-0-0)
1
Final
0
Gonzaga GON
(3-6-0, 0-0-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Utah Tech UTU 1 0 1
Gonzaga GON 0 0 0

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

MSOC earns 1-0 road win at Gonzaga

Utah Tech men's soccer earned a statement 1-0 win in a dramatic match at Gonzaga Friday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED: Utah Tech men's soccer was the aggressor in the opening quarter-hour of this match. After earning a set piece just four minutes into the game, the Trailblazers were able to find the opening goal. Dunes Nielsen served the ball up and into an onrushing Niko Shumov. Shumov sent his left-footed shot past the Gonzaga goalkeeper for his first goal of the season. 

After the opening goal, the Zags went for a heavy press on the Trailblazer back line. Gonzaga was looking for an answer but could not get past goalkeeper Jacob Zimmerman. 

The Zags had a good look in the middle of the first half that nearly found an equalizer, but it hit off the upper 90 and went out of play. 

In the 43rd minute, Larsen Rogers found himself on a break and thought he had found the second goal. Rogers got his shot off past an onrushing Zags goalkeeper as he was fouled from behind. Rogers shot rolled wide as Victor Gadea was shown red for the foul on Rogers. The Trailblazers would hold their one-goal lead with a man advantage for the final 47 minutes of play. 

Within the first 10 minutes of the second half, captain Julian Herrera, and Anthony Godinez were shown yellow for the bad fouls. 

Rogers nearly had a goal again in the 58th minute as he escaped his mark in the box and got a shot on frame, but his attempt was saved. 

Blaine Chambers was shown yellow for a foul in the 63rd minute. 

In the 66th minute, Herrera went up for a ball, trying to head it out of the box, and made contact with the Zags' forward. His foul led to him being shown a second yellow and a penalty kick. Zimmerman made the save off a dive to his right side. Zimmerman's save preserved the 1-0 lead for the Trailblazers, but Herrera's second yellow will have him miss Sunday's match at Portland. 

Following the penalty kick save, Zimmerman was kept busy. Facing three shots in just under eight minutes, the sophomore goalkeeper was forced into some big saves to preserve the lead. In the 73rd minute, the Zags hit another shot off the post. 

In the final 15 minutes of play, the Trailblazers bunkered down to preserve the result. The team faced six shots in the last 10 minutes of the half, but thanks to the heroics of Zimmerman and the backline, the Zags could not find the consolation goal on the night, and Utah Tech will head to Portland with the 1-0 win.

STAT BREAKDOWN: The Trailblazers had nine shots with six on goal. Three of the shots came from Shumov, with two from Taylor Rogers. Additionally, Carlos Vargas, Dunes Nielsen, Sacha Etienne-Courtois, and Larsen Rogers also had one apiece.

Jacob Zimmerman started and played the full 90 minutes in goal and made five saves in the shutout.

Gonzaga ended the match with 18 shots and six shots on goal. 

Utah Tech now has a 2-5-0 record on the season. 

The Trailblazers were shown five yellows in this match. Julian Herrera was shown two yellows for bad fouls resulting in a red card and a one-game suspension. Additionally, Blaine Chambers, Aby Gomez, and Anthony Godinez were also cautioned.

UP NEXT: The Trailblazer men now head south to Portland for a Sunday night match with the University of Portland at 8 pm (MT). Utah Tech will return home to open conference play on Friday night versus Grand Canyon at 7:30 pm in Greater Zion Stadium.
 
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