The Northwestern men’s soccer team won its fifth straight match against rival Dordt on Tuesday in Sioux Center after a home victory against Concordia.
The Raiders beat Dordt 2-0 on the road on Tuesday, which strengthened their hold on first place in the GPAC. In the 28th minute junior midfielder Gabriel Goncalves scored the game’s first goal. In the 78th minute, senior midfielder Nick Hengst scored a goal off a loose ball following a free kick. Sophomore Koray Karakas was credited with the assist. The match produced very few shots as Northwestern out shot Dordt 10-8 (4-3 shots on goal advantage).
“Players are really stepping up and owning their roles,” said senior forward Jeriah Dunk. “We have found some momentum and we are becoming a really tough team.”
This was NW’s fifth win in a row and improved its record to 10-5-1 (6-1-1 in GPAC). The Raiders have now won ten games in each of the last three seasons, a first in team history.
NW played another 2-0 shutout victory on Saturday against Concordia. The Raiders scored a goal in each half. Senior Travis Sytsma scored the first goal in the 13th minute of play on a rip from approximately 40 yards out. In the second half, freshman Wesley Lockwood scored his second goal of the season in the 74th minute on a pass by Karakas. Sophomore goalkeeper Aaron Bosch had eight saves and earned his second consecutive shutout, the team’s fourth of the year. Saturday’s game was senior/parent night for the men. Northwestern honored their senior players and parents for their contributions to the program before the game.
“With a number of impact seniors on the squad, there is plenty of motivation among the players to perform in practice and play well in games,” head coach Dan Swier said. With the win the Raiders moved into first place in the GPAC.
“If guys continue to work and compete the way they do we feel we can exceed what we’ve done over the past two years,” Swier said.
The Raiders travel to Hastings on Saturday to play the No. 10 Broncos.
