The No. 7 Pioneers welcomed Western Illinois to Ciber Field for a Summit League clash where the Pioneers took the win with four different Pioneers getting on the scoresheet. The Pioneers now go to 11-2-2 on the season with three games left to play in the regular season.
The offensive pressure by the Pioneers began early in the first half as senior Andre Shinyashiki (Sao Pãulo, Brazil) had a header hit of the woodwork in the second minute. In the 12th minute, sophomore Destan Norman (Fort Collins, Colo.) passed to senior Moshe Perez (Shim’a, Israel) waiting in the middle of the pitch. From there, Perez turned, pushed forward and took his shot from 20 yards out to place it into the left corner to make it 1-0.
The Pioneers maintained the pressure as Western Illinois looked for their chance to strike on the Pioneer goal. However, with two chances, the backline led by redshirt senior center-back Scott Devos (Centennial, Colo.) and redshirt sophomore goalie Will Palmquist (Denver) stood strong. As the first half was coming to a close, senior Tosh Samkange (Sammamish, Wash.) and freshman Liam Johnson (Golden, Colo.) combined their efforts to set up Shinyashiki at the top of the box, who curled a beauty of the ball past the goalkeeper’s fingertips. The first half ended with the Pioneers on top 2-0.
Freshman Stefan DeLeone (Fort Collins, Colo.) made it 3-0 in the 56th minute when he received a perfectly weighted through ball from senior Kenny Akamatsu (Niigata, Japan) inside the box and placed into the back of the net. Shinyashiki recorded an assist alongside Akamatsu for the DeLeone goal. Three minutes later in the 59th minute, Johnson passed the ball along to Akamatsu on the right side of the pitch. Akamatsu ran inside and took a shot from 25 yards out that took a skip past the Western Illinois keeper. The Pioneers would hold on to the clean sheet to get their 11th win of the season.
The Pioneers continue to impress on the offensive side of the field with great teamwork and continual pressure throughout matches. The Pioneers will look to continue their undefeated home record as they take on the Saint Louis Billikens at Ciber Field on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. MDT.
