The Goshen College men’s soccer team recorded their first win of the season last Wednesday, moving to 1-6-1 on the year. The Leafs outscored Concordia University 3-1 with goals from Mathurin Allawai, Tim Wilkening and Tebello Ntene.
Allawai, a senior, scored his second goal this season during the 16th minute of the game. Tim Wilkening, a junior, scored the second goal in the 75th minute, with an assist by Eli Simones, a sophomore.This was Wilkening’s first goal as a Maple Leaf after recovering from a broken tibia last year. Ntene was knocked down inside the 18-yard box, resulting in a GC penalty kick. Ntene sent the ball through the goal and expanded the lead to 3-1.
Gregor Rommelspacher, Goshen’s goalkeeper, made two saves for the Leafs during the match.
Allawai was named Everence student-athlete of the week for the week of Sept. 4 to Sept. 11. He has started in all games the Leafs have played this season, currently leading the team this season in goals, points and shots on goal.
The team had high expectations for themselves going into the match.
“[We wanted] to prove to ourselves and all our supporters that we could win,” Wilkening said.
They achieved their goal and “after the win, everyone felt better and more confident,” Allawai said.
With a 2-12-3 record last season, Goshen’s training philosophy shifted over the offseason.
“Our focus was primarily on the fitness area,” Wilkening said. “From Monday to Saturday, there would be intensive running sessions that included interval runs, sprints or endurance runs.”
Wilkening commented on how much more fit his teammates look as “most players go play summer leagues to get ready for the season.”
Looking ahead, the men share a common goal. “We want to make it to the conference tournament this year,” Wilkening said. Getting a win is a good start.
