From Jimmie Athletics
LaCROSSE, WI (jimmiepride.com)– A day after being held off the scoreboard in their season opener, the University of Jamestown men’s soccer team rebounded with six goals in a 6-0 win over Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) University.
Austin Shafer (SR/Jamestown, N.D.) achieved a natural hat trick and three other players each tallied a goal in the Jimmies’ highest-scoring game since a 5-0 win over University of Providence on September 11, 2021.
UJ’s first marker came in the seventh minute off a corner kick. Frankie Parkinson (SO/Bournemouth, England) placed his kick right in front of the goal mouth, and a charging Caden Williamson (JR/Rapid City, S.D.) put a one-timer into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Jamestown wasted little time doubling their lead. Less than one minute later, Axcele Biteghe (SO/Libreville, Gabon) drew a yellow card on Ignacio Iglesias after being taken to ground by his shirt about eight yards atop the penalty area. Parkinson took the free kick, and the ball bounced a couple of yards in front of DWU keeper Garrett Douglas, scooting past and into the corner of the net.
Another corner kick led indirectly to the Jimmies’ third goal. Parkinson’s kick was played by a DWU defender, but Jacob Holtz (JR/Bismarck, N.D.) took advantage of an opportune hop and got behind the Tiger defense, firing a kick to the top left corner out of Douglas’s reach, and it was 3-0 just eleven minutes in.
Shafer notched his first goal and closed out UJ’s first half scoring in the 23rd minute. Trouble in clearing the ball by DWU’s backline offered Shafer a chance to sneak in behind the defense, and his left-footed shot to the bottom left of the net was no match for the diving keeper, making it 4-0.
In the 79th minute, Biteghe was brought down in the box, resulting in a penalty kick for Jamestown. Shafer stepped up and converted the spot kick for his second and the Jimmies’ fifth.
Finally, thirty-four seconds from time, Shafer completed the hat trick after a clumsy defensive sequence by DWU. Biteghe had tried to chip a ball over the head of keeper Riley Brennan, but Brennan was able to deflect it straight up in the air behind him. Biteghe appeared to be grabbed by a defender as he collided with Brennan. Shafer, who had been coming in towards goal on the left side, never stopped and was able to tap the ball into the net as Brennan was unable to get back into position.
Shots were 16-12 in favor of Jamestown, who also had 10-6 edge in shots on target.
The Jimmies (1-1) will be in Oregon September 2-5 for matches against Oregon Tech, College of Idaho, and Eastern Oregon University.