Eagles start season undefeated
In their first matchup against newly welcomed SWAC members, Pacific Northwest Christian College, 15th ranked USU Eastern men’s soccer emerged as the clear winner of the contests with a dominating score of 13-1. The game showcased some outstanding performances by the Eagles as they completely overwhelmed their opponents.
Eastern’s offensive strength was on full display, as they fired 23 shots on goal throughout the match. William Mugisha was an absolute standout, recording five goals, while Jackson Warden added to the scoring with two goals. Anthony Bejar, Jonah Garcia, Aiden McMullin, Osvaldo Escalona, Jaxson Lesueur, and Vinicius De Silva also contributed to the goal tally.
Assists were aplenty for USU Eastern as well, with Aleksander Mihajlovic, Austin Tesch, Aiden McMullin, and Jaxson Lesueur providing crucial setups for their teammates.
The defense for USU Eastern was on point, allowing Pacific Northwest only one goal. Goalkeeper Mathias Del Lago held his own ensuring his opponents had very few scoring opportunities.
Overall, it was a dominant performance by USU Eastern, showing their exceptional teamwork, offensive firepower, and defensive solidity.
Following their matchup against the Gladiators, USU Eastern traveled to Reno, Nevada where they took on Truckee Meadows Community College.
The Eagles secured a well-deserved victory over Truckee Meadows with a final score of 3-0. The match once again showcased the team’s strong defensive and offensive capabilities.
The defensive line, anchored by Mathias Del Lago in goal, put up a solid performance, keeping Truckee Meadows at bay and preventing any goals. Ramon Nunez and Austin Tesch also contributed to the team’s defensive efforts, ensuring the opposition had minimal scoring opportunities.
On the offensive front, William Mugisha was the standout player, providing valuable assists for his teammates. Aiden McMullin, Vinicius De Silva, and DJ Gillespe capitalized on Mugisha’s assists to score three crucial goals for Utah State Eastern.
The No. 15 USU Eastern Eagles continued conference play by hosting the College of Southern Nevada Coyotes. Four goals in the first half propelled the Eagles to a 6-0 victory.
A heated match, that include eight total yellow cards, started with a Vinicius De Silva goal in the fifth minute. The goal was De Silva’s fourth of the season. Four minutes later, in the ninth minute, Jonah Garcia made it 2-0 for the Eagles.
Things got heated in the 33rd minute, as two Coyote players were shown yellow cards, leading to a Ramon Nunez penalty kick. Ramon Nunez converted, pushing the Eastern lead to 3-0. Nunez was given a yellow card after scoring the penalty. Three more yellow cards were assessed in the next minute, one CSN player was carded before both teams received team yellow cards.
Jonah Garcia scored his second goal of the match, his fourth of the season, in the 37th minute, giving USU Eastern a 4-0 lead heading into halftime.
Both teams settled in the second half, until Jackson Warden scored in the 75th minute. Warden’s third goal of the year made it 5-0 in favor of USU Eastern.
Kevin Nunez put the nail in the coffin with Eastern’s sixth goal in the 78th minute.
Mathias Del Lago continued to anchor the Eagles’ defense, recording his second straight shutout, tallying six saves in the match.
“We have played well to start the season,” said head coach Ryan Thompson. “We are playing our best game at the right time. We have tough competition ahead, especially in the conference we play in. Our conference has good teams, but we feel like we can play with the best of them when we play our brand of soccer.”
The Eagles will next travel to Ephraim, Utah to take on the Snow College Badgers. The match is scheduled for Thursday, September 21 at 3:30 p.m.
