SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (Oct. 19) -- The 11th ranked Denison men's soccer team dominated the Wittenberg Tigers on the road with an impressive 7-0 victory Saturday afternoon. The sheer number of goals highlighted Denison's offensive power throughout the contest, as they out-shot the Tigers 18-6, with 12 shots on target compared to Wittenberg's three.
Kaden Kist set the tone early, sending a long ball just before midfield. The ball bounced once at the top of the Tigers' 18-yard box, and before it touched the ground again, Jake Krueger made a phenomenal strike, sending it past the keeper into the left side of the net for the first goal.
The second goal of the half came from a right-side corner kick by Kameron Kist. The ball ricocheted off Zarius Eusebe's shoulder and appeared to be heading wide, but Niko Argyros slid in before it hit the ground, keeping it in play and finishing the job to make it 2-0.
Ben Goeller then played a ball to Argyros, who flicked it cleanly past the Tiger defense. Krueger, in another goal-scoring opportunity, was taken down in the box, leading to a penalty kick for Denison. Krueger buried the shot, extending the lead to 3-0 and driving Krueger's goal count up to 13 this season, which holds the lead in the NCAC.
Colin MacDonald added another after a hustle play at midfield, where he stole the ball from the Tigers. After working the ball forward, Kameron Kist drew three defenders before passing it back to MacDonald, who slotted it into the lower left corner of the net.
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The fifth goal came in the second half from sophomore Tyler Weiss. After a quick juke, senior Cole Trigg sent a long cross to the left side of Wittenberg's 18-yard box. Weiss controlled the ball, took it one touch toward the top of the box, and found the only available angle, sliding a right-footed shot past the diving keeper.
Phil Koutsaftis created another scoring chance with a one-on-one against the keeper, leading to a deflected ball the Tiger defense couldn't clear. Senior Michael Sullivan fired a one-touch shot that ricocheted off the post, but Denison maintained possession, and a series of connected passes found Koutsaftis again. This time, he finished the play with a left-footed shot.
Weiss capped off the scoring with a second goal. Sullivan took a free kick, placing it perfectly for Weiss, who won the aerial battle and headed the ball into the back of the net to finish the 7-0 rout.
This victory marks Denison's fifth consecutive win, making them 5-0 in conference play and 10-1-3 overall.
Denison head coach Brandon Bianco commented, "Today was a good team performance. Everyone contributed, and I loved getting five goals from our bench. I still think there's another level this group can reach, and we look forward to being back at home Wednesday."
The Big Red will be back in action at Kienzle-Hylbert Stadium on Wednesday, October 23rd for a 7 p.m., where they'll be taking on yet another set of Tigers—this time hosting DePauw University in NCAC play.
