NORFOLK, Va. – Monarch senior Josue Henriquez scored three goals and the No. 24 Old Dominion men’s soccer team defeated No. 25 Akron, 4-1, on Sunday night at the ODU Soccer Complex.
“We had a game plan going in and we executed that game plan. Everybody bought in,” said head coach Alan Dawson. “Ultimately, we got a great win. Down on the road, this will be a real feather in our cap because Akron will be a team that wins a lot of games.”
Old Dominion (1-1-0) rebounded from a season-opening 2-0 loss to No. 21 Coastal Carolina on Friday night in tremendous fashion, as the Monarchs netted two goals in both the first and second half.
Akron (1-1-0), who notched a 3-2 overtime win over VCU on Friday night, had no answer for the speedy Henriquez, who recorded ODU’s first hat trick since Tim Hopkinson’s trifecta against VMI in 2013.
In the 18th minute, Henriquez scored his first goal of the match, running onto a long ball from defender Christian Wirth. Henriquez found himself one-on-one with Akron goalkeeper Alex Fenlason inside the six, where he curled a shot into the upper left corner.
Just minutes later, Henriquez netted his second goal, this time off of an assist from senior Ivan Militar. The Hungary native dribbled through several Akron defenders before laying off a pass to Henriquez, whose shot deflected off of a Akron and defender and into the back of the net.
The Monarchs would carry the 2-0 lead and the momentum into halftime. The Zips had only one true scoring chance in the opening segment off of a low cross from the left flank, but ODU keeper Alex Tiesenhausen was there to make a brilliant sliding save.
“The response after halftime was fantastic,” said Dawson. “We got them together before we went into the locker room and said ‘no celebrating, no high-fives.’ We told them to play the game like it was nil-nil, and we buried them three minutes into the half.”
ODU squandered any chance of an Akron comeback, scoring two goals in the first 2:15 of the second half. Freshman Niko Klosterhalfen put the Monarchs up, 3-0, in the 46th minute, collecting a rebound and firing a shot into an open net.
Less than two minutes later, Henriquez finished off his hat trick. The Mesa, Arizona, native received a through ball from Klosterhalfen and ripped a line-drive shot into the right side of the net.
Akron’s Anthony Macchione broke up the shutout in the 76th minute with his second goal of the season.
The four goals were the most ODU has scored in a match since a 5-1 over Drexel in the NCAA Tournament in 2013.
FINAL STATS
Team | 1st | 2nd | Final |
#25 Akron | 0 | 1 | 1 |
#24 Old Dominion | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Goals:
18’ (ODU): Josue Henriquez (1), assisted by Christian Wirth
21’ (ODU): Josue Henriquez (2), assisted by Ivan Militar
46’ (ODU): Niko Klosterhalfen (1), unassisted
48’ (ODU): Josue Henriquez (3), assisted by Niko Klosterhalfen
76’ (AKR): Anthony Macchione (2), assisted by Nate Shultz
Shots: ODU (15), Akron (13)
SOG: ODU (9), Akron (6)
Corner Kicks: ODU (6), Akron (3)
Saves: Alex Tiesenhausen, ODU (5); Jake Fenlason, Akron (5)
UP NEXT FOR ODU
The Monarchs play at Loyola (Md.) on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. in Baltimore. The trip north will be ODU’s first road trip of the season.
VOUCHER BOOKS
Take advantage of the great offer to attend ODU soccer games through the ODU Soccer Voucher Book available online at www.ynottix.com or at the ticket gate for all home games. With the voucher book receive 20 ticket vouchers redeemable at any home men’s or women’s soccer games for the cost of just $25. With every purchase you also receive an official ODU Soccer scarf!
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