Offense continues to hum as Eutectics blast Kansas Christian

The University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy Men's Soccer team was trying to make it back-to-back wins on Saturday afternoon as the Eutectics were matched up with Kansas Christian in a game played at Missouri Baptist University in Chesterfield, MO. UHSP was coming off a 5-2 win over Blackburn College on Wednesday.

The Eutectics did not take long to get on the board as only 2:25 in, the UHSP leading scorer Alvaro Montijano this time played the role of the distributor as he dealt a cross to Jacob Woodard for the early goal and Woodard's fourth of the season. The Falcons responded quickly and gave UHSP goaltender Jack Wolfe an early test with two blistering shots. Ombeni Mubengwa delivered the first heavy ball from close range that Wolfe made a leaping save on, sending the ball over the crossbar. About ten minutes later, Selemani Shukurani blasted a missile from the left wing that again sent Wolfe into a leaping save just getting a hand on it to keep it from going in the net.

Fifteen minutes in, the Eutectics added a new goal scorer to their list of weapons for the season. Mohammed Alkenani drove down the field on the left wing and stepping around a defender, buried one in the opposite far right-corner past the Falcons keeper, Gabriel Farenzena to make it a 2-0 advantage.

The Eutectics had a number of other promising chances that they just missed connecting on. Jake Woodard sent a couple of crosses into the box that his brother Grant Woodard just missed getting a header on. Another high cross from Woodard was just too tall for Montijano on another headed effort as the Eutectics had no shortage of high-quality offensive chances.

Kansas Christian was able to net an important goal just minutes before the intermission. Shukurani took a through-ball up the center of the field. With two defenders on his right, Shukurani was able to shield the ball from the defenders with his body and kept possession all the way into the penalty area. Shukurani was able to get a shot away, but his foot stuck in the turf resulting in a bit of an awkward shot that was able to sneak past Wolfe to make it a 2-1 game.

The second half started with each team seemingly playing a little more conservative after a wide-open first half. It was still a 2-1 game at the 26:00 mark when Alkenani nearly scored his second of the game. Alkenani was working in the right corner of the 18-yard-box when he split a Kansas Christian double-team to find some space. His shot on goal hit the right post and came harmlessly across the face of the goal as the margin stayed at one.

Seven and a half later, the floodgates opened for the Purple and Gold. Jacob Woodard netted his second of the game and his fifth of the year to make it 3-1. Less than five minutes later with the Falcons stretching the field to try and generate offense, UHSP had space offensively and Alkenani was able to run up the wing to record his second goal of the game and the year making it 4-1. It was Alvaro Montijano collecting his team-leading sixth of the year just 3:47 after Alkenani's goal as the Eutectics were crashing the box and Montijano found the ball off a deflection to make it 5-1. The Falcons would get a cosmetic goal from Felipe Pampolim with 3:18 remaining to make the final 5-2.

It is the second consecutive game for the Eutectics in which they have put five goals on the board, matching the second highest single game goal output in program history. Despite the lopsided feel of the game and what the final score indicated, shots were fairly even with USHP holding a 21-20 edge. Each keeper recorded five saves in the contest.

The Eutectics play at Division-I Lindenwood on Tuesday in St. Charles. UHSP will return to Missouri Baptist for an American Midwest Conference match-up against the Spartans coming up on Saturday.