CLINTON, Iowa - After hanging seven goals on St. Ambrose earlier this week, the Ashford University men's soccer team was out to prove that wasn't just a fluke on Saturday. The Saints netted six goals on Senior Day as they won their fourth consecutive match with a 6-0 Midwest Collegiate Conference rout of the Tigers of Iowa Wesleyan.
The Saints took two fewer shots on Saturday as they did on Wednesday, but still racked up 32 shots to IWC's six and place 26 shots on goal. AU also earned nine of the 11 combined corner kicks while being caught offside on three occasions.
Fitting for senior day, a senior notched the first goal of the match in the eighth minute when Sao Paulo, Brazil's Rafael Machado recorded his second goal of the season from 15 yards away on an assist by Peter Bechtel.
Another Sao Paulo, Brazil-native, Lucas Almeida, then gave AU a 2-0 lead heading into the halftime break with a goal in the 24th minute of action when he stole the ball away from a defender inside the 18-yard box for an easy goal.
After the halftime break, the Saints posted four goals en route to an easy 6-0 victory. Bechtel tallied his second assist of the match in the 59th minute when Nuno Gourgel headed in a corner kick for his second goal of the season.
Almeida struck again late in the 63rd minute, recording his 10th goal of the season before a pair of seniors, Sam Etim and Willy Kappie scored goals in the 87th and 89th minutes, respectively.
Senior goalkeeper Danny James needed to make just three stops as he posted his sixth shutout of the season.
The victory improves Ashford's record to 11-4 overall and 5-2 in the MCC while Iowa Wesleyan falls to 4-10 overall and 1-6 in league tilts.
AU closes out the remainder of the regular season on the road starting with a Wednesday clash at Indiana Tech. The match is slated for a 4 p.m. start.
