Box Score Fort Wayne, Ind. – University of Denver men’s soccer sophomore Chandler Crosswait (Bedford, Texas) scored twice to lead the Pioneers in a 5-0 shutout over the Mastodons.
“This is a great way to start in the Summit League,” head coach Bobby Muuss said. “We knew we had to weather the first 10-15 minutes and I was proud of the way the boys played.”
Denver (5-3-2, 1-0-0 Summit League) was helped by a pair of goals from Crosswait with the first one coming in the 29th minute. Set up from a pass by senior Jack Henderson (Denver, Colo.), Crosswait would find the back of the net with a shot to the left side of the goal, beating IPFW (0-10-1, 0-2-0 Summit League) goalie Raphael Kotzock.
Crosswait would score once again seven minutes later, this time coming off a pass from senior Anees Abdulgasem (Denver, Colo.). Crosswait’s second goal of the game beat a diving Kotzock to his left side.
The Crimson and Gold opened the scoring in the 28th minute with freshman Kyle Morlack’s (Goodyear, Ariz.) goal shot past Kotzock’s left side and assisted by sophomore Jordan Schweitzer (Everett, Wash.).
DU’s scoring barrage continued in the second half after junior Kasey Esponda (Buffalo, Wyo.) found the back of the net in the 66th minute with the ball beating a diving goaltender to his right. Esponda’s goal came off a pass by Henderson, who finished the game with two assists.
Denver put its final stamp on IPFW in the 87th minute with an unassisted goal by freshman Alex Toderica (Longmont, Colo.). Toderica’s goal beat the IPFW goalie to his right.
Junior Oliver Brown (Louisville, Ky.) recorded his third shutout of the year, only needed one save against the Mastodons. Denver outshot Fort Wayne 15-2 in the first half and 23-6 overall in the match.
Denver has earned at least a point in its last five matches and currently leads the Summit League with 17 points.
“It was a great team effort with all of our goals coming from guys off the bench and making an impact,” Muuss said. “Now we have to focus on our regeneration and get ready for a very good Oakland team.”
DU remains on the road with a game in Rochester, Mich., to face the Oakland golden Grizzlies on Monday, Oct. 7 at 5 p.m. MT at OU Soccer Field.
The Pioneers’ next home game is against IUPUI on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. MT at CIBER Field. Fans interested in purchasing tickets can do so by phone at 303-871-2336, in person at the Richie Center box office or through the DenverPioneers.com.
Below are highlights from the season through 10 games.
-EXPERIENCE DENVER ATHLETICS-
Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Men’s Soccer on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_MSoccer on Twitter
