September 21, 1998
MEN’S SOCCER SCORING DROUGHT CONTINUES
Monmouth,IL -- It was a different day but the same story for the Monmouth men’s soccer team as the Fighting Scots lost a pair of non-conference matches this weekend. Monmouth was defeated twice by 1-0 scores, losing to CCIW regional rivals Millikin on Saturday and Illinois Wesleyan on Sunday. The losses drop the Scots to 2-4-1 on the season.
Offensive chances were limited for Monmouth in each game. On Saturday the defense held Millikin scoreless in the first half, thanks in part to a fine performance by freshman goalkeeper Joel Cowan (Alton,IL/HS). Cowan collected six saves as the Big Blue outshot Monmouth 18-12 for the match. Mike Ward connected for the only goal of the match in the 70th minute of play as the Scots could only manage four shots on goal in the second period.
Another good performance in goal by Cowan was wasted on Sunday as the offense sputtered again. Wesleyan’s Nick Hubbuch beat Cowan in the 15th minute to give the Titans an early 1-0 lead and that proved to be the match winner as the two teams failed to score again. Three goalies combined to earn the shutout victory for Illinois Wesleyan. Monmouth substituted freely throughout the match but could not find a scoring combination.
The Scots will resume their schedule next weekend, hosting Midwest Conference opponents Carroll and Ripon on Bobby Woll Field in two critical league matches. Kick-off time on Saturday for the Carroll match is set for 3:00 following the women’s match with a 1:00 start scheduled for Sunday.