Saint Mary’s proved its power with a shutout win over Huskies

By Quentin Wilson

DeKALB —  The men’s soccer team lost its second game in a row, falling to St. Mary’s College of California 5-0 at home.

“They exposed a lot of our weaknesses and showed us what we need to work on,” first-year goalkeeper Martin Sanchez said.

The Huskies were down early when first-year defender Boyd Curry scored a header six-yards out, just over a minute into the first half.

The Gaels scored for the second time ten minutes later off a shot from senior forward Joseph Restani. Restani’s goal hit the top corner with an assist by senior midfielder Jacob Svehlik. 

Down 2-0, the mood began to drop like the temperature on the rainy day. 

“When we gave up a goal early, there was a mentality breakdown,” Head Coach Ryan Swan said. “The guys realized it was a really good team we were playing; psychologically we were broken.”

The Huskies’ best chance to score came from a shot on goal by senior midfielder Ethan Pitre.

Pitre was able to rebound a kick from first-year midfielder Luis Hernandez. Once Pitre received possession, he had an attempt to score from close range, but Remi Prieur, Saint Mary’s redshirt senior goalkeeper, was able to stop the efforts.

Coming out of the half, the Gaels quickly added to their lead. In just under two minutes, senior forward Jake Rudel scored off a header outside of six yards. Restani was able to assist him on the play.

The lead continued to grow in the 54th minute when senior forward Anders Engebretsen scored with a kick from the left side that flew in the right corner of the goal for an olimpico.

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 SMC’s last goal came after the 72-minute mark. Sophomore midfielder Sebastian Schacht pushed the ball down the right side of the field before passing it to Rudel, who put his shot in the back of the net. This was Rudel’s second goal of the game.

“There’s a lot of work we need to do if we want to be the team we think we are capable of being,” Swan said.

The Gaels out-shot the Huskies 15-5. Sanchez was able to accumulate four saves for the Huskies.

“Being the goalie, you have to keep your head up and keep your guys fighting throughout the game,” Sanchez said. “I have to just keep doing my job.”

The Huskies’ record falls to 4-6-1, while Saint Mary’s improves to 9-1.

“We have to erase this one, and we have to look at Saint Mary as a quality team,” Swan said.

The Huskies will take the field again 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Soccer and Track and Field Complex against Eastern Illinois University.