Shawnee State Claims Men's Soccer Match of the Week
OWENSBORO, Ky. -- A testament to a team's toughness is finding a way to win a match -- even when the flow of a match is uneven or doesn't go one's way.
First-year head coach Stan Rodrigues isn't shy about telling you that his team is a family. That fact was proven again Saturday evening in a River States Conference matchup against Brescia (Ky.) -- as the Bears claimed a massive 12-1 shot advantage in the opening half of play over the Bearcats and got a 27th minute goal from Cameron Thompson off of a Théo Cavaleiro Trindade pass to claim a 1-0 halftime lead.
Then, despite Brescia nabbing a 13-5 shot advantage in the second half and tying the RSC match at one goal apiece in the 52nd minute, Guillermo Conejo Martin and João Coqueti Léo connected on what was a beautiful finish by Coqueti Léo in the 65th minute of action as Shawnee State ultimately took a 2-1 victory over Brescia in a road battle that was held at Kamuf Park in Owensboro, Ky. Saturday evening.
While Brescia ultimately claimed 14 shots in the match, SSU posted 17 to claim a three-shot advantage. The Bears, however, made the Bearcats work for their opportunities -- as only three Brescia shots were placed on frame. Shawnee State, by comparison, put seven shots on the mark in Saturday's contest.
"Saturday's victory was a result of great veteran and senior leadership from our upperclassmen," Rodrigues said following the victory. "I'm really proud of how our vets played, especially, Gui (Conejo Martin), Nikos (Pontikis) and Guilherme (Bitencourt). We had our share of successes and our share of adversities that hit at different points in the contest, but our core leadership -- those three, especially -- were poised throughout and played within themselves the entire game. I'm so impressed with how poised they were. That was the difference in us winning tonight. Their leadership and this culture is one of a family atmosphere and those guys are the centerpiece of that."
Thompson scores fifth goal on cross
Throughout the opening half, Shawnee State hoisted up a barrage of shots en route to claiming a 12-1 first-half shot advantage.
However, it was Cameron Thompson's blast in the 27th minute that managed to find the proper home.
Receiving the ball on the near side of the pitch, Théo Cavaleiro Trindade got free and was able to move toward the outer edge of the box. Before the freshman was cut off there, Cavaleiro Trindade shot a cross from left to right that was threaded in between two Brescia defenders and goalkeeper Pau Gelabert, catching each of them out of position in the process as all three players rotated to stop the movement on the left.
Coming in with the rush all the way, Thompson suddenly found himself with the ball, trapped it momentarily, and fired an easy finish to the bottom right side of the net for his fifth goal and 10th point of the 2024 season as the freshman continues to add to an impressive point-scoring campaign.
With his assist, Cavaleiro Trindade posted his third of the year -- and moved to seven points total having already accumulated two goals as well prior to Saturday's contest.
Gui, João quell Bearcat rally
Despite trailing by a 1-0 margin at the halftime break, Brescia didn't quit fighting -- and through their own work, nabbed a 52nd minute goal off of the leg of Katai Mukuka to tie the match at one goal apiece.
However, the poise of Guillermo Conejo Martin, as well as João Coqueti Léo, allowed Shawnee State to strike just 13 minutes later.
Following a foul, Conejo Martin, who has been an efficient threat throughout his college career with SSU, set up a wonderfully placed free kick from the near side of the field to a waiting Coqueti Léo, who drove the ball home in a convincing yet poised manner despite receiving the ball with traffic around him.
"João did a terrific job," Rodrigues said. "His goal was a thing of beauty -- great body control and didn't rush the attempt, either. Gui did an excellent job placing the pass on target to set up the finish. The opportunity was just beautifully executed by both guys. It's a further testament to how they both have played all season long -- poised, under control, committed to the program and do everything that you ask them to do."
The goal proved to be Coqueti Léo's third of the season -- putting the freshman up to seven points as well after entering Saturday's match with an assist also on his line -- while Conejo Martin has four points after recording his second assist of the year to go along with his early season goal scored against Washington Adventist back in September.