An overtime win to celebrate the grand opening up the new Goodman pitch and a 3-0 thrashing of a conference rival have the Madison College WolfPack men’s soccer team off to a strong start.

Facing longtime rival Joliet Junior College on Aug. 30, Madison College conceded a goal in the final minutes of regular time, allowing Joliet to tie the game at 2-2.

However, after the first period of overtime went scoreless, sophomore Toby Andrews put a penalty kick away to give Madison the result they were looking for: a conference win.

The WolfPack enjoyed the majority of possession in the first half, albeit conceding in the 33rd-minute goal to Joliet forward Adrian Jimenez. Against the run of play, the purple shirts of Joliet put a few passes together, ending with the ball in the back of the net.

After halftime, Madison College played better in the opposing half of the field, again enjoying large spells of possession. In the 74th minute, Italian native Marco Peruzzo scored off an assist by midfielder Jake Andrews. Andrews, a sophomore, then proceeded to score a goal himself only eight minutes later.

With the lead going into the final 10 minutes, the WolfPack tried to hold their line, but were taken apart by an 85th-minute’ goal from Joliet that sent the game would go into overtime.

After 15 extra minutes, the WolfPack were awarded a penalty kick following a foul in the box by Joliet. Up stepped Toby Andrews, who slotted the ball past the Joliet keeper for the winning goal.

Madison College outshot the opposition by a 26-13 margin, and keeper Blake Dehn finished with six saves.
Upcoming games will feature Harper College at home on Sept. 13 and a road re-match with Joliet Junior College on Sept. 15.

Madison College 3, Rock Valley College 0

A 3-0 win against any team is a good result. However, finishing with that score in a game against a conference rival, especially Rock Valley College, is not only a quality win, but a morale booster.

Rock Valley is always a challenge for the WolfPack, and coach Corey Sims had his men up to the task. After an overtime midweek game, the WolfPack dispensed of the opposition quite quickly.

Toby Andrews scored the only goal of the first half, and doubled up after the 68th minute. Shane Patterson also scored his first goal of the year, after the 74th minute. He was assisted by Jonathan Tecuatil-Toxqui.

The final shot count was 16-7 in favor of Madison College, and both keepers finished with four saves.