ELSAH, IL – The Principia men's soccer team earned a 3-2 win over the Spalding Golden Eagles on Saturday afternoon, withstanding a late push in a pivotal conference battle.
In a ceremony before the game, the team honored their six outstanding seniors,
Christian Tresoldi,
Leander Linsler,
Parker Boyce,
Bradley Mayekiso,
Cade Pecheck, and
Juan Cabral by presenting them with framed jerseys with their families and friends in attendance for Homecoming weekend. All six seniors played a big role in the ensuing victory.
The Panthers opened the scoring in the 15th minute on a well-executed set piece off a corner kick. The ball found Cabral who headed the ball from the back of the box toward the center, where Boyce nudged it with his head to Linsler, who redirected it off his leg into the net for the early 1-0 lead.
Tresoldi extended the Panthers' lead to 2-0 in the 24th minute, continuing his strong run of form by scoring for the fourth consecutive game. Pecheck delivered a low corner kick that found Tresoldi in the middle of the box, and he blasted it off the keeper and into the goal.
The highlight of the match came in the 33rd minute with a beautifully crafted goal engineered by Pecheck. He stole the ball on defense, played a perfect give-and-go with Mayekiso through multiple defenders, and delivered a pinpoint long pass across the field into the box to a streaking
Jonathan Keller, who coolly finished with a one-timed strike to give Principia a 3-0 lead at halftime.
After a strong first half, the Panthers faced consistent pressure in the second half from the Golden Eagles trying to get back in the game. Spalding's Mustafa Almohammedawi, the conference's leading scorer, pulled a goal back for the Golden Eagles in the 58th minute and later converted a penalty to cut the lead to 3-2. In the end, however, the Panthers' defense held firm to secure the big victory.
With the win, Principia improves to 5-0-2 in SLIAC play, remaining atop the conference standings. The Panthers will look to continue their unbeaten run when they head to Arkansas to face Lyon College next Saturday at 1:30 pm.
