Yellowjackets score five, cruise past Bethel

Ben Kasper scored his third goal of the season for UW-Superior.

Box Score

Superior 5, Bethel 0

Fast starts had been hard to come by for the UW-Superior men's soccer team in 2014. All that changed against the Bethel Royals on Tuesday.

The Yellowjackets tallied in the opening 39 seconds and never looked back, netting a season-high five goals in a 5-0 shutout over Bethel at Yellowjacket Field.

UW-Superior made the most of their offensive opportunities against the Royals, finding the back of the net on five of their six shots on goal for the contest while upping their overall record to 8-4. Bethel meanwhile dropped their eighth straight and fell to 4-9 on the season.

Brian Grand (North Branch, Minn./North Branch) got the Yellowjackets off to a flying start, scoring his fourth goal of the year on a breakaway against Royals starting net minder A.J. Syler at the 39 second mark for a quick 1-0 lead.

UW-Superior doubled their advantage at 26:11 when Gio Rodriguez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Los Osos) netted his team-leading seventh goal of the season after finishing a pretty, three-way passing started by Grand and Gonzalo Garcia (Kirkland, Ill./Hiawatha) for a 2-0 Yellowjackets lead.

Reyman Solis (Kirkland, Ill./Huntley) added his second tally of the year just before halftime, finishing a cross from Collin Frisco (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park) at 40:40 for a 3-0 bulge at the intermission.

The Yellowjackets continued to put pressure in the second half as Grand drew a penalty-kick from replacement goal tender Jakob Bartels with just under 30 minutes left in regulation. Ben Kasper (Eagan, Minn./Eagan) finished off the resulting shot for his third goal of the season and a 4-0 UW-Superior lead.

John Little (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) completed the scoring for UW-Superior, tapping home his second marker of the year at 83:04 from Nico Ralief and Solis to make the final 5-0.

For the game, UW-Superior held a 13-10 edge in total shots. Solis paced the Yellowjackets with three shots while Zach Harwerth (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) picked up his second shutout in goal with four saves. Both Grand and Rodriguez had a goal and an assist on the afternoon for UW-Superior.

Bethel was led by Matthew Pisarski and Luke Chase with two shots each while Syler took the loss in goal.

The Yellowjackets hit the road to face St. Olaf in non-conference action on Sunday. Opening kick against the Oles is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#22 Collin Frisco: D; 6' 0"; Senior

#17 Brian Grand: F; 5' 11"; Senior

#0 Zach Harwerth: GK; 6' 0"; Senior

#9 Ben Kasper: F; 5' 10"; Senior

#24 John Little: D; 5' 11"; Junior

#10 Gio Rodriguez: M; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#4 Gonzalo Garcia: M; 5' 7"; Freshman

#6 Reyman Solis: M; 5' 8"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#22 Collin Frisco
: 6' 0"; Senior
: D

#17 Brian Grand
: 5' 11"; Senior
: F

#0 Zach Harwerth
: 6' 0"; Senior
: GK

#9 Ben Kasper
: 5' 10"; Senior
: F

#24 John Little
: 5' 11"; Junior
: D

#10 Gio Rodriguez
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: M

#4 Gonzalo Garcia
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: M

#6 Reyman Solis
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: M