SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University men's soccer team opened its season with a convincing 3-0 win over the University of Michigan-Dearborn on Saturday night.
"Tonight was a solid start to our journey," said head coach Nathan Miller. "We controlled the match from start to finish. We have the team and the ability to do that so it was encouraging to see."
After dominating possession and outshooting the Wolverines early on, the Cougars' efforts were rewarded in the 24th minute with a goal from sophomore Kevin Veeder. Fellow sophomore Jake Sterling sent a free kick from just outside the 18 yard box to the back post where the bouncing ball eventually found the foot of Veeder, who buried a shot into the top corner for the first goal of his career.
Spring Arbor nearly doubled its lead seconds later but junior Adam Hunt's one-time attempt bounced off the crossbar, and the Cougars would take their 1-0 advantage into halftime.
The Cougars continued to apply pressure in the second half, and were able to break things wide open after netting a pair of goals just seven minutes apart. Freshman Janum Sailor tallied the first goal of his career in the 58th minute before senior Stevenson Storm beat two defenders and ripped a shot past the Michigan-Dearborn keeper in the 65th minute.
Spring Arbor finished the match with 16 shots compared to UMD's five. Hunt and Morris Kamara added assists while junior goalkeeper Cobi Piper recorded one save.
"We spread around a lot of minutes, which is crucial for us in these first couple weeks," noted Miller. "Our bench gave us a great boost. Having Veeder back and producing, and being a central cog to our team gives us so much confidence and it was also important to have a few really good debuts from freshmen like Janum, Morris and Stephen Gabriele."
Spring Arbor (1-0) will now play four straight matches away from home beginning with a trip to Holy Cross College in Notre Dame, Indiana on Monday, Aug. 24 at 5 p.m.
Men's Soccer Contact: Chris Bauman | 517-750-6504 | christopher.bauman@arbor.edu
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