As non-conference play dwindles to a close, the Holy Cross men’s soccer team has picked up some steam. The Saints won their second consecutive match by way of a shutout on Saturday, defeating Oakland City 2-0 for their first home win of the season. Holy Cross now owns a 3-3-1 overall record and a 2-0-1 mark in September with conference play awaiting within the next week.
Whereas the Saints used two goalkeepers to record their Sept. 7 clean sheet against Lourdes, they utilized just one on Saturday. German junior Sebastian Grimm played all 90 minutes, stopping each of the two shots he faced. Grimm had opened the season as the Holy Cross starter, but the team tested out different options after he allowed seven goals in his first three games. Look for Saturday’s match to rebuild some of Grimm’s confidence and get him back on track.
After waiting until the 89th minute to score first in the Lourdes, Holy Cross started fast to gain an advantage on Oakland City. Senior forward Juan Perez deposited his fifth goal of the season just 104 seconds into the contest, cashing in an assist from sophomore right back Anthony Panayiotou. A pillar of consistency for the Holy Cross attack, Perez has now scored at least five goals in all four seasons he’s played with the Saints. However, he has never reached the five-goal benchmark in just six games as he has this year.
Holy Cross would finish the first half ahead 1-0 and leading by a 4-2 margin in the shot column. The Saints would attempt four additional shots in the second half, one of them finding the back of the net in the 72nd minute. Freshman winger Kai Lulic registered his first career assist and point, setting the table for freshman center back Cesar Vela’s first collegiate goal. The first-year connection moved Holy Cross into a two-goal lead that would stand up through the final whistle.
With just one goal allowed in their last three matches, the Saints will head to Saint Francis (Indiana) for their final non-conference tune-up at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. After that Holy Cross will host Governors State at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday to begin CCAC play.
