The Basics

Score: Evangel 2, Kansas Wesleyan 1 | Box Score

Record: Evangel (6-0-1, 2-0-0), Kansas Wesleyan (3-3-0, 1-1-0)

Location: Salina, Kan. (JRI Stadium)

SALINA, Kan. – Valor Men's Soccer took a trip to Salina, Kansas, on Saturday (Sept. 21) afternoon, taking on the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes, looking to break the single season school record for wins. Evangel came out strong, scoring a pair of goals and were able to take a win over Kansas Wesleyan, moving to 6-0-1 on the season, the best men's soccer record in school history.

Evangel and Kansas Wesleyan were in a tightly contested match for the majority of the first half, until a free kick from Andrea Fincato. Fincato's pass found Caleb Kuchta who headed the shot in the goal, giving the Valor a 1-0 lead over the Coyotes. The Valor and Coyotes both went scoreless in the final eight minutes of the half, as EU took a 1-0 lead into the halftime break.

In the second half, both teams continued to attack on the offensive end. The Valor defense continued to stand tall, not allowing the Coyotes to score. At the 67:02 mark, Juyong Kim was given a pass from Rem Harmsworth that Kim buried to push the Valor ahead, 2-0. The Valor defense nearly held the Coyotes scoreless, but a penalty shot was awarded to Kansas Wesleyan in the final few minutes, making it a 2-1 game that the Valor held to the end for the win.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Caleb Kuchta and Juyong Kim both scored a goal, their third of the season.

• Andrea Fincato earned his fourth assist of the season in the win, while Rem Harmsworth earned his first.

• Davide Marzoli earned his first win of the season in goal.

• This is the best start to a season for the Valor as they currently sit at 6-0-1.

QUOTABLE

"Our boys played with intensity from the start. Kansas Wesleyan finished in the top 3 last year and they were a very good squad, they gave us all we could handle and our defense stood up all day long. Our offense created a lot of opportunities this afternoon and we were able to finish the game as winners because of relentless hard work," Men's Soccer Head Coach Kyle Beard stated. "It's been a long time coming for this program to win a match like this. I'm so happy for the guys because they earned it. God has blessed us with a great bunch of young men who love playing for each other and love representing Evangel!"

UP NEXT

Evangel Men's Soccer continues their road trip on Wednesday (Sept. 25) evening, taking on the Friends Falcons at 7:30 p.m. in Wichita, Kansas.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.