GREAT FALLS, Mont. – The University of Providence men's soccer team got their first win of the season on Saturday, upsetting Rocky Mountain College, who is receiving votes in the NAIA National Poll, 1-0.
Matthew Wilkinson scored the deciding goal off a corner kick from Mika Lukas Lankhof in the 51
st minute to seal the victory for the Argos (1-2, 1-0).
"It was a great win," interim head coach
Michael Rahn said. "I couldn't be prouder of the guys. They really stepped up and played great. It was a complete team effort."
Both teams attempted ten shots on the day, with three each appearing on goal.
George Almeida led the team in shots with three, while Wilkinson led the team with shots on target with two. Defensively, keeper
Evan Scholes recorded three saves on the day, while Wilkinson and
Joel Samayoa stopped numerous offensive attacks from the Battlin' Bears (3-1-1, 0-1).
"Rocky Mountain is a great team, all due respect to them," Rahn said. "They hadn't lost, we hadn't won. We were hungrier. We shot as much as they did. It was a pretty evenly matched game."
Rahn was especially pleased with how the team responded after
a tough loss last weekend to Jamestown. The team responded with a gritty week of practice, and together developed a game plan that ultimately proved successful.
"It was a big bummer the way we played last weekend," Rahn said. "We expected more from ourselves. It was a tough beginning of the week. We came together, worked on it and agreed on a game plan. I worked with them and they worked with me and we found a winning formula. We're starting to play better. There's still a lot of room for improvement. We're hoping for bigger and better things from here on out."
The Argos will have the opportunity to expand on the win next weekend, with a pair of road games against Northwest and Evergreen State. The games will be played Friday and Saturday, respectively.
"This win really sets us up nicely for success in the conference and that's our main goal," Rahn said. "Hopefully we can continue on that path. It's going to be tough next weekend with back to back games on the road 13 hours away from home. But we'll be prepared for it."
