UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University men's soccer team earned a 2–0 victory over Davenport University in its penultimate regular-season match on Wednesday afternoon at Robert C. Braddock Field.
The Cardinals (9–2–4, 8–2–1 GLIAC) extended their unbeaten streak to five matches behind two second-half goals from Eoin Farrell (Athy, Ireland / Ardscoil na Tríonóide), who converted a pair of penalty kicks to lead SVSU to the win. Farrell is 6-for-6 from the penalty spot this year, taking all of the Cardinals PK opportunities.
After a scoreless first half in which the Cardinals dominated possession and outshot Davenport 22–3, Farrell broke through in the 62nd minute, calmly beating the keeper to the right. Matty Telfer (Newcastle, England / Sunderland College) had earned the penalty kick after being taken out inside the box by the Davenport keeper who was shown a yellow card for the foul. Just over 12 minutes later, the graduate stepped up again, this time earning the foul in the box himself. Farrell buried his second penalty kick of the day to make it 2–0 in the 74th minute. The brace gives Farrell seven goals on the year to lead the team.
SVSU controlled the contest from start to finish, outshooting the Panthers 38–4, including a 15–2 edge in shots on goal. The Cardinals also held a 9–5 advantage in corner kicks. Nick Kay (Walled Lake, Mich. / Walled Lake Central HS) earned his seventh shutout of the season with two saves.
The Cardinals hop into first in the GLIAC with a two-point lead on Roosevelt with one more match to play. The Lakers have two remaining, playing after SVSU on Friday and their final match on Sunday. SVSU needs to earn one more point than RU this weekend to claim a share of the GLIAC regular season title and the number one seed for the tournament. If the Cardinals earn two or more points more than the Lakers, they'll win the GLIAC regular season outright.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley closes the regular season on Friday, October 31. The Halloween match against St. Cloud State is also Senior Day. Kickoff is set for 12:00 PM at Robert C. Braddock Field.
