ELSAH, IL – The Panthers' Men's Soccer team hosted Blackburn College in front of a large crowd of alumni and fans for Principia's Homecoming Weekend on Saturday. Loud cheers echoed throughout the field in anticipation of an intense match. With the energetic atmosphere and beautiful fall weather, Principia came ready to play as they looked to snap a four-game winless streak.
The Panthers opened the scoring early with
Wizzy Afrani winning a penalty in the 8th minute that
Parker Boyce nestled into the back of the Beavers' net. Blackburn fought back causing multiple breakaways but failed to find their scoring touch. The Panthers took advantage with their own counterattack in the 10th minute as a hard shot by
Victor Reis rebounded off the keeper right to a streaking
Nana Koranteng. Koranteng put away his first collegiate goal for the 2-0 lead and his running back flip celebration ignited the home crowd.
For the remainder of the first half, it was non-stop, back-and-forth action between the two teams. Blackburn earned multiple corners and forced the Panthers to scramble to keep their clean sheet. In the 43rd minute,
Victor Reis made a beautiful run to score for the third consecutive game, earning a team-leading fifth goal. Principia went into the break with a commanding 3-0 lead.
The second half was a game of possession between the teams, with Blackburn seeking to pounce on Principia mistakes with quick counterattacks. The Panthers' defense was strong, with
Leander Linsler and
EG Pierce making decisive tackles to prevent the Beavers from getting on the score sheet. In the 71st minute,
Jonathan Keller got his second assist of the game by playing
Liam Peschke through on the right wing, who ripped the ball into the side netting for his first of the season. The final score of 4-0 gave the Panthers their fifth shutout this fall.
Up Next: Principia will look to carry this momentum to their next game on Tuesday when they travel to Louisville, Kentucky to take on Spalding University at 7:30 pm (eastern time).
