NEWS
Men’s Soccer Blanks Presbyterian With Balanced Attack
The Wildcats defeated the Blue Hose 2-0.
DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Davidson men’s soccer team sent out 22 shots and scored twice in a shutout win over Presbyterian at Alumni Stadium on Thursday evening. Alonzo Clarke and Vincent Bennage each scored while Denis Krioutchenkov rifled eight shots.
1st Half
It took some time for the ‘Cats to gain their offensive momentum early on as Presbyterian came out as the aggressor. The Blue Hose were able to penetrate the Davidson back line enough to the tune of six shots in the first six minutes of game action, but from that point on, it was all Wildcats.
In the 10th minute, Davidson started to chip away. Jack Brown had a shot blocked then 38 seconds later, Trey Gardiner sent a strike but missed high. Vincent Bennage and Connor Smith both had chances in the 14th and 18th minute but also missed the mark.
Denis Krioutchenkov, who came off the bench in Thursday night’s action, nearly gave the ‘Cats their first score of the season in the 34th minute. The Milwaukee native had a loose ball in the box but had his shot blocked by a Blue Hose defender. Less than a minute later, Krioutchenkov corralled another ball near the box and sent a strike that bounced off the crossbar then, Jack Brown put a shot goal seconds later which was saved.
The two teams went to the break in a scoreless tie despite a combined 19 shots.
2nd Half
The second half heavily favored the Wildcats in large part to immediate urgency after the intermission. Davidson was able to dig in on Presbyterian’s defensive zone behind six corner kicks and six shots. Then, in the 63rd minute, Alonzo Clarke broke open the flood gates.
With Krioutchenkov lined up to deliver a corner, Clarke soared over defenders in the middle of the box and directed a shot into the back of the net to give the ‘Cats their first score of the season.
Things didn’t stop there as Krioutchenkov broke free for two more shots in less than two minutes following Clarke’s goal.
In the 89th minute, Vincent Bennage put the exclamation point of the first full regular season game. The junior from Kenosha, Wisc. finished a well-placed feed from Luke Bryant to seal the deal on a 2-0 victory.
Davidson allowed just one shot in the second half and outshot the Blue Hose 22-10 by the time the final horn blew.
Up Next
The Wildcats will travel to Blacksburg, Va., Sunday to take on Virginia Tech at 6:00 p.m.