Iding’s Header Propels USAO to Victory on Senior Day
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Texas Wesleyan (5-7-3, 1-4-1) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Science and Arts (6-7-3, 2-4-1) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
CHICKASHA, Okla. – Saturday afternoon, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (6-7-3, 2-4-1 SAC) gave their senior class something to celebrate with their second win in a row, in a 2-1 effort against Texas Wesleyan University (5-7-3, 1-4-1 SAC). The Drovers are now 10-3-1 against the Rams all-time, dating back to September of 2011.
The matchup against the Rams was an extremely important one in terms of the conference standings. With two games remaining in the regular season, the Drovers sit in eighth place and the top eight teams in the conference will qualify for the SAC Tournament. With the loss, Texas Wesleyan drops to ninth and still have to play a pair of tough games against John Brown University and Wayland Baptist University. At the conclusion of the regular season, the top four seeds will earn a bid to host for the opening round of the conference tournament, and the highest seed will host for the remainder of the way.
On Saturday, the Drovers immediately captured a 1-0 lead as Matija Malenovic intercepted a pass deep in the Texas Wesleyan end and put the shot away for his eighth goal of the year.
The Drovers maintained the lead for the remainder of the half and took a 1-0 lead into halftime.
Following the break, the Rams found a spark on offense and quickly struck for the equalizer in the 50thminute. The score remained tied at 1-1 until the 75th minute when Stijn Iding scored the game-winning goal as he headed in a corner kick from Justin Croke. The goal was Iding's second of the season, and the assist was the ninth of the season for Croke.
As a team, USAO attempted 11 shots, with four being on goal, while Texas Wesleyan attempted 16 shots, with five being on target. The Drovers were whistled for 17 fouls, while the Rams committed 19 infractions.
Angel Diaz was stellar between the pipes for USAO, stopping four of the five shots that came his way.
The dynamic duo of Justin Croke and Matija Malenovic has been wreaking havoc on the Sooner Athletic Conference this season. Croke currently ranks eighth in the SAC in goals (7), third in assists (9), and sixth in points (23), while Malenovic ranks sixth in goals (8), fifth in assists (6), and seventh in points (22).
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Drovers will return to the pitch on Tuesday, October 24 as they travel to McPherson, Kan. to face Central Christian College at 7:30 PM CT.
USAO MEN'S SOCCER SENIOR CLASS 2023
#99 LOUIS OWENS
Career Stats:
12 Games played with 9 starts
2x SAC defensive player of the week (2022)
2x scholar athlete
Plans after Graduation:
Louis plans to stay in the USA and work in either the business market or go into coaching.
#9 JUSTIN CROKE
Career Stats:
16 goals, 21 assists, 53 points
2022 SAC All Conference
2022 SAC newcomer of the year
2022 SAC offensive player of the week
Plans after Graduation:
Stay in the USA and go into coaching.
#10 ANGELO LEENDERTSE
Career Stats:
26 goals, 20 assists, 72 points
4x SAC All Conference
2x NAIA Daktronics scholar athlete
Team Captain
Plans after Graduation:
Go back home to the Netherlands and travel the world.
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