Oregon State
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Beavers open the 2010 Campaign with 2-0 win over UMKC
September 01, 2010 | Men's Soccer
Sept. 1, 2010
CORVALLIS, Ore. - The Oregon State men's soccer team opened the 2010 season with a 2-0 victory over the University of Missouri at Kansas City Wednesday night. The win marks the fifth straight season in which the Beavers won their season opener.
"We started four new players and a total of eight played in the game and contributed," Oregon State men's soccer head coach Steve Simmons said following the match. "It was a lot to ask for of the new players to get on the same page but they did and it was good to see. It was a very good team result."
The Beavers did not get many chances against the Kangaroos but they capitalized on that they got. They knocked in the first goal of the game when in the 71st minute when Travis Sanchez received the ball from John Swenson and then shot the ball to the far left corner of the net which was blocked by a Kangaroo defender and trickled into the net to give the Beavers a 1-0 lead.
The Beavers added another goal 10 minutes later in the 81st minute when freshman Alex Eckerson recorded his first career goal as a Beaver when he took on Kangaroo keeper Ken Cooper one-on-one and put the ball in the lower left corner of the net. Jake Parker picked up his first assist of the season on the play.
"It was a physical game and the new guys grew up as the game went on which was good to see," Simmons said. "As the game went on we found some opportunities in space to attack. We were pretty organized defensively and Steve (Spangler) and our back four were very solid."
Oregon State only scored only had three shots in the game with three coming on goal. All three shots on goal took place in the final 20 minutes of the match with two being the goals scored.
Beaver junior keeper Steve Spangler recorded two saves during the match and recorded his first win of the season.
Oregon State will stay out on the road and travel to Green Bay, Wis. where they will take on University of Wisconsin at Green Bay Saturday Sept. 4 starting at 5 p.m. PDT.
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