SUPERIOR, Wis. – Over the last decade, the Yellowjacket men's soccer team has developed into one of the powerhouse teams in the region. What's made that all the more remarkable is the program's nomadic existence.
During that stretch, the Yellowjackets have played "home" matches at nine different fields in two states, but all that changed Saturday. For the first time in a long time, the Yellowjackets were at home, playing on campus, with their match against Minnesota Morris serving as the christening of Superior Choice Credit Union Stadium.
The weather was less than ideal, deviating from an unseasonably sunny and warm fall, but the cloudy, sometimes rainy weather did little to dampen the enthusiasm. The Yellowjackets employed a relentless, balanced attack against the Cougars on the way to an 8-1 win.
After moving in front 3-0 during the first half, the Yellowjackets (9-2-2, 8-0-0 UMAC) blew it open in the second half, tallying five times to put things out of reach.
The Yellowjackets got goals from six different players, while handily outshooting Morris in the match.
Felipe Oliveira (Belo Horizonte, Brazil/Colegio Soma) will go down in history has the player who scored the first goal in the history of Superior Choice Credit Union Stadium, finding the back of the net in the 12th minute, finishing off a feed from
Freddy Watson (Wendover, England/Berkshire College of Agriculture). The duo would strike again minutes later, with Watson finishing off a feed from Oliveira just under four minutes later. The goals were the fourth of the year for both Oliveira and Watson.
Match Notes
- The Yellowjackets have now won eight matches in a row, dating back to Sept. 14.
- Fifth-year senior Phillip Eriksen (Skjetten, Norway/Lorenskog) got off the schneid Saturday, scoring his first goal of the season in the 38th minute, staking the Yellowjackets to a 3-0 lead heading into halftime.
- The Yellowjackets scored four times in a span of 6:05 early in the second half to blow the game wide open.
- A persistent Aaron Shartin-Folkert (Hudson, Wis./Somerset) stayed with a loose ball in the box and scored into the right side of the net for his second of the year in the 47th minute.
- Jake Kidd (Superior, Wis./Superior) followed with back-to-back goals, scoring in the 48th minute and again in the 54th minute to make the score 6-0.
- After Saturday, Kidd now leads the team with eight goals.
- The lead extended 25 seconds after Kidd's second of the day when Morris deflected a ball into its own net, resulting in an own goal.
- Morris broke through in the 72nd minute. Cooper Jones was awarded a penalty kick, and his attempt was stopped by Yellowjacket goalkeeper Patrick Sessions (Brighton, England/Brighton, Hove & Sussex Sixth Form College), but Cooper got the ball again seconds later and broke the Yellowjacket shutout.
- UWS closed out the scoring in the 73rd minute when Adam Kaffel (London, England/Barnet School in London) scored his first collegiate goal, providing the final 8-1 margin.
- Morris' goal was the first goal the Yellowjackets allowed against a UMAC opponent this season.
- The Yellowjackets had their shutout streak snapped at 744:33.
- Alex Paredes (Mequon, Wis./Homestead) started in goal and didn't make a save in 64:14 of play. Session came on and finished the match, making one save in 25:46 of game action.
- UWS has now won 12 straight against Morris.
It's a quick turnaround for the Yellowjackets, as they'll face a stiff test Sunday when they travel to St. Peter, Minn. for a date with Gustavus Adolphus. The Gusties enter the match as the No. 6 team in the nation. The opening kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Gusties Field.
