September 07, 2009 4:46 AM
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Men's Soccer
Principia Men’s Soccer upends Millikin in first game at the Illinois Wesleyan Titan Classic.
Men's Soccer notches a 3-1 win over Millikin University
Bloomington, IL- Two first half goals by seniors
Ricky Seaman and
Paul Olsen proved to be enough to give the Panthers their second win of the season before fellow senior midfielder
Yaw Danso joined the party to render the proceedings moot with a spectacular stunner. The Panthers were kind enough to gift Millikin a consolation goal to seal the final score 3-1.
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the Panthers stepped on the pitch to face their first of two nemesis from the CCIW conference in the Titan Classic showdown in Bloomington, IL. The match was even for the first 10 minutes with neither side exerting their will upon the other until the pendulum swung the Panthers way in the 15th minute. Sophomore,
Jake Summerlin pounced on a 50/50 ball in the attacking half and sprung Seaman whose creative run beat the lethargic big blue off-side trap before he slipped home a well placed shot past the onrushing net minder to give the Panthers the lead. The Panthers then went to work dominating play through large spells for the rest of the half and seemed eager to take control of the match. Olsen was on the mark in the 37th minute when he calmly took down a served ball from Danso's free kick before thumping it in the roof of the net, at the back post, for his first goal of the season. But the panther's breathing room was short-lived three minutes later when the charitable panthers gave up a soft goal which the gracious hosts were thrilled to have going into the half.
The second half was a bit disjointed but full of moments of brilliance on both sides. The Panthers were forced to make an injury substitution when left back
Patrick Harber went down with a knock that stalled the match for 20 minutes. The reprieve gave both teams time to regroup and the Big Blue seemed bigger and much more ferocious than the Panthers. With the non-stop onslaught, Millikin was rewarded with a penalty kick after a panther player was adjudicated to have handled the ball in the box. Sophomore keeper
Samuel Thomas made no mistake making a diving save in the 57th minute to preserve the Panthers frail lead. Three minutes later all worries were numbed when Seaman was taken down on the right side of the eighteen. Danso stepped on the ball and unleashed a thundering pile driver that left the keeper dazed and the Panther's bench, in euphoric state, with a well-deserved 3-1 win. The Panthers will tackle the Illinois Wesleyan Titans in one of the championship matches on Sunday afternoon.
