Yellowjackets rally in second half, down Pioneers

Brian Grand scored his third goal of the season for the Yellowjackets.

Box Score

Superior 3, Platteville 1

Having already won their WIAC Conference opener against Finlandia, the UW-Superior men's soccer team hoped to make it two-for-two when they faced UW-Platteville Saturday afternoon.

After trailing by a goal at intermission, a strong second-half allowed the Yellowjackets to do just that as three goals in just over 16 minutes propelled UW-Superior to an impressive 3-1 win over the Pioneers in Platteville.

The victory not only improved UW-Superior's record to 7-3 on the season, it also upped the Yellowjackets' conference mark to 2-0 as they return home to face UW-Oshkosh on Saturday.

Following a scoreless opening 20 minutes, the Pioneers (3-4-3) opened the scoring at 21:56 as Stephen Hall found Mbodje Sarr for his fourth goal of the season to give UW-Platteville a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.

The Yellowjackets rallied back at 72:28 as Brian Grand (North Branch, Minn./North Branch) netted his third tally of the season on a free-kick from 20 yards out to even matters 1-1 with 17:32 remaining in regulation.

Freshman Jon Bucklew (Somerset, Wis./Somerset) put UW-Superior in front 6:44 later, taking a long pass from Gio Rodriguez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Los Osos) before burying a shot short-side on UW-Platteville net minder Scott Sibik to make it a 2-1 contest.

With the Pioneers pressing for a tying goal, Ben Kasper (Eagan, Minn./Eagan) scored his second goal of the season on nifty through-ball from Bucklew at 88:36 to seal the victory.

For the game, UW-Superior held a 13-8 edge in total shots and a 9-3 advantage in shots on goal.

Bucklew racked up four shots while Kasper finished with three. Zach Harwerth (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) picked up the win in goal for UW-Superior, stopping two shots on the afternoon.

Sarr had two of the Pioneers' eight shots while Sibik took the loss with five saves for UW-Platteville.

Opening kick between the Yellowjackets and Titans is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at Yellowjacket Field.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

#2 Jon Bucklew: F; 5' 8"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

#2 Jon Bucklew
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: F