On Oct. 21, the Men’s Soccer team beat Oral Roberts 2-0. Both goals were scored by junior forward, Andre Shinyashiki (Sao Paulo, Brazil) who won the Summit League Offensive player of the Week honors last week. The Pioneers are sole possessors of the No.1 spot in the Summit League.
Shinyashiki opened the scoring up in the 33rd minute with an assist from junior midfielder Kenny Akamatsu (Niigata, Japan). Akamatsu settled a bouncing ball in the box and passed it to Shinyashiki, who took one touch and drove it home. This goal was his seventh goal of the season, a Pioneer team high.
In the first half, the Pioneers outshot Oral Roberts 7 to 2. The Pioneers played an excellent defensive game, as junior goal-keeper Nick Gardner (Marvin, N. C.) did not have to make any saves the first period. His only save of the game came in the second period, making this the fifth shut-out of the Pioneer’s 2017 season.
In the second period, Shinyashiki made his second goal in the 86th minute off an assist from redshirt freshman defenseman, Dylan Keeney (Littleton, Colo.). Keener played the ball to Shinyashiki during a three-on-two counter-attack by the Pios. Keeney’s assist was his first point of his collegiate career.
With his first of his two goals, Shinyashiki moved into second with game-winning goals scored in DU’s Division 1 history (tied with Collin Audley). These goals were his fourth and fifth goals of the last three matches.
The Pioneers outshot Oral Roberts 18-9, playing a strong game both offensively and defensively. Head coach Jamie Franks said after the game, “Overall, I’m really proud of my group. They continue to get better and grow with confidence, experience and maturity. We have guys continuing to find their form, and they are resilient as a group and stick together. When they do that, we’re a tough team to beat. We would have liked to put the game away earlier with all the chances that we were able to create, but that’s a testament to the leadership of this team that they stuck to the task, and we were able to both get a second goal and keep a cleansheet.”
Following this win, the Pioneers are 3-0 in Summit League play, and 8-6-0 in all games played, placing them in excellent position as they approach the last two games of the regular season.
“Our older guys are really starting to come together, and are leading by example with the foundation of the experience of playing in important late season matches on the road. I’m looking forward to getting back on the field with this group on Wednesday.” Franks said.
The Pioneers will finish out their road trip on Wednesday, Oct. 25. They return home for their senior night game on Saturday, Oct. 28 against Omaha.
