The GU men's soccer team defeated the Fighting Bees of St. Ambrose University in a chilly match at Rasmussen Field in Lamoni in front of a large, if heavily bundled, Homecoming crowd. The Jackets improve to 7-4 on the season with the victory, and to 3-2 at home.
Graceland played under control in the first half, holding onto a 1-0 lead for most of the period before St. Ambrose managed to put one past keeper Carlos Ortiz (Bogota, Colombia) late in the frame. The score was an aberration for an otherwise fine defensive effort lead by defenseman Orrin Branker (Port Fortin, Trinidad & Tobago), which allowed only five shots on goal during the match.
After the break, Graceland regained the driver's seat, and freshman Andre Sharpe (Kingston, Jamaica) broke the deadlock in the 78th minute to put the Jackets ahead, with the assist on the shot coming from Diego Gonzalez (Brampton, ON). GU held onto that 2-1 lead for the remainder of the game, keeping the ball on the St. Ambrose side of the field for most of the match's final minutes.
"It was nice to get a victory in such terribly cold weather," said Coach Angel Monroy. "The defense played very well, and Stefan and Orrin in particular were great tonight. We hit the post twice and suffered another injury, but we have a full week to sharpen up and get healthier."
Graceland's next matchup will be Saturday, October 17th in Lamoni, taking on conference opponent Avila. That game will start after the women's match at 7:00 pm. Stay tuned to the Jacket athletics website for continuing coverage of the men's soccer team and all of Jacket athletics.