KENOSHA — The Carthage College men's soccer team earned its first College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) victory of the season Wednesday night, defeating Augustana (Ill.) 3-1 at Art Keller Field.
- Final Score: Carthage 3 – Augustana (Ill.) 1
- Location: Art Keller Field – Kenosha, Wisconsin
- Records: Carthage 2-8-3, 1-3-2 CCIW | Augustana (Ill.) 3-7-3, 1-4-1 CCIW
- The Firebirds set the tone early with two first-half goals. In the 10th minute, Dennis Valle capitalized on a defensive turnover near the top of the box and buried his second goal of the season to put Carthage ahead 1-0.
- Ten minutes later, Adrian Atanassov doubled the lead after a cross into the box was deflected by the goalkeeper, allowing Atanassov to strike from the top of the box.
- Augustana (Ill.) responded just before halftime in the 43rd minute to make it 2-1 heading into the break.
- In the second half, Carthage quickly regained momentum. In the 61st minute, Eli Schoffstall intercepted a pass in the attacking third and finished into the lower corner to extend the Firebirds' lead to 3-1.
- Goalkeeper Aaron The anchored the defense with six saves, including four in the first half, to secure the win.
- Carthage tallied 18 total shots — eight on target — while limiting Augustana (Ill.) to 16 attempts.
- Valle, Atanassov, and Schoffstall each found the back of the net, with Atanassov also recording his first collegiate game-winner.
"The boys thoroughly deserved the win tonight. We have played well and not gotten the result earlier this season, so I was most pleased to see the maturity in the second half. Some key guys stepped up and have become important leaders within the team.
I'm very happy for them, particularly on Senior night and with many local youth soccer players in the stands cheering us on."
- The Firebirds head to Elmhurst on Saturday, October 25, playing at 4:30 p.m.
