The GW men’s soccer team swept a four-game home stand with wins over Temple and St. Joseph’s this weekend increasing its winning streak to a season-high four games. Junior goalkeeper Eric Lund recorded his third shutout of the season to remain undefeated in the net in 2002.
Lund saved all six of Temple’s shots on goal Sunday to bring his save total to 37 this season. Lund has recorded 25 saves and two shutouts during the winning streak, allowing only two goals.
The Colonials’ winning streak began two weeks ago with a home shutout victory over Dayton Oct. 11 and continued with a win over Xavier before this weekend’s games. Over the course of the four wins, GW (8-6, 4-2 Atlantic 10) has outscored opponents 15-2. Head coach George Lidster said he is happy with the Colonials’ progress.
“The team has improved every week,” he said. “They’re more confident and the players are expressing themselves. The defense is more disciplined and the offense is making things happen.”
GW 3, Temple 0
Sunday, Oct. 20
The Colonials took an early 1-0 lead against Temple Sunday at the 5:08 mark when senior midfielder and A-10 Player of the Week Matt Osborne punched in a one-timer set up with assists from Steve Brown and Trent Wilee. The goal was Osborne’s tenth of the season, making him the team’s second leading scorer behind Arnar Johannsson, who has 12.
The game was not a blowout by any means, as the Owls hung tough until late in the match. Lidster said the match was anyone’s game until about the 80th minute.
“It was a hard fought victory even though the result makes it look like it wasn’t,” he said. Senior midfielder Michael Goldman agreed.
“This was a hard fought win. They’re a pesky team and we always have tough games against them,” he said. “We stayed focused and pulled through as a team.”
Temple’s hopes of a comeback were shattered when GW scored its second goal with just over 10 minutes remaining. GW defenseman Kirk Lewis evaded his own defender and scored at close range, giving the Colonials a 2-0 lead. Junior defenseman Justin Evans set up the play with a long pass to midfielder Frank Ambrosio, who fed the ball to Lewis in the box.
Goldman added some insurance, scoring the third GW goal of the match in the 82nd minute.
GW 5, St. Joseph’s 1
Friday, Oct. 18
Prior to Sunday’s shutout, the Colonials cruised to a 5-1 win against St. Joseph’s Friday. The Hawks struck first when defenseman Kevin Schmidt hammered home a free kick one minute into the game, but their lead would not last for long.
The Colonials’ scoring surge began with Goldman’s game-tying goal at the 15:32 mark. Nearly 10 minutes later, Johannsson scored to give the Colonials a 2-1 advantage. GW then dominated play for the remainder of the match. Johannsson added another goal and Fabio Andrade and Jeremy Catlin both scored.
The Colonials look to keep their winning streak alive Friday when they visit Fordham for a 7 p.m. match in the Bronx.
-Lauren Kornreich contributed to this report.
