Oct. 2, 2009 – Sophomore Jonathan Brown dished out two assists off corner kicks, and freshman Tyler Knierim notched his sixth shutout – and fourth straight – in a 2-0 Truman men’s soccer win against Northeastern Oklahoma State on Friday in Kirksville.
A pair of senior defenders – Matt Taylor (Marshalltown, Iowa; Marshalltown) and Drew Pauk (St. Louis, Mo.; Vianney) – were the recipients of Brown’s (Perth, Scotland; Auchterarder) feeds and converted on headers to help the Bulldogs move to 8-1-1 on the season. It was a key South Central regional win for Truman, who took 31 shots (ten on goal) to just ten total (zero on goal) for the visiting Riverhawks (5-3).
Taylor’s goal came at a pivotal point, as Truman dominated possession out of the gate and looked to have a sure one-goal lead in the bag when the ’Dogs were given a penalty shot in the 11th minute. When junior Dan Meagher’s (Chesterfield, Mo.; St. Louis University High) attempt was saved, the Bulldogs had a corner after a Riverhawk clear-out. From there, Taylor rose above a group congregated in front of the net and headed the cross into the right side of the net for an early lead.
Pauk later logged his second goal of the season in the 64th minute to give the Bulldogs some breathing room, as he too used his head to direct the ball into the net. The Bulldogs attempted 11 corner kicks in the contest to just one for NSU.
Knierim (Hartsburg, Mo.; Southern Boone) lowered his season GAA to 0.33 in his ninth start of the season and improved the team’s record in his starts to 8-0-1. On the offensive end, 12 different Bulldogs fired a shot, led by Brown’s five total and two on net.
Truman will travel to Maryville (Mo.) University (0-8-1) on Sunday afternoon for a noon start in St. Louis. The ’Dogs will then be home for six of the final eight regular season contests, starting next Thursday at 2 pm against Upper Iowa University (5-6-1).