KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Kalamazoo College men's soccer team was at home against Alma to continue MIAA play on Saturday (Oct. 14). The Hornets scored one goal in the first half and another two in the second for a 3-1 win over the Scots.
Lucas Ruiz hopped back into the starting eleven, joining Gavin Houtkooper, Colin Halloran, Aidan Gillig, Shun Yonehara, Paul Kearis, Henry Plumstead, Emilio Romo, Chad Ewing, Jeremiah Heath, and Junior Matuza.
The Hornets controlled the game early on, taking six shots and three corner kicks in the first 20 minutes of action. The sixth shot gave Kalamazoo a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute as Gillig sent a through ball from midfield past the Scots' back line to Plumstead, who buried his fifth goal of the season. Another shot was not recorded in the first half for the next 17 minutes until the Hornets took their seventh of the half. The K defense held up all through the first 45 minutes by not allowing a shot or corner kick to Alma, giving the Hornets a 1-0 lead at the break.
The trend continued for the first 10 minutes of the second half, as Plumstead put away his second goal of the game and team-leading sixth of the season in the 57th minute. Yonehara set up Plumstead this time, sending a pass into the box that Plumstead caught up to and sent right over the goalkeeper's shoulder. However, two minutes later, the Scots were on the board with a fantastic goal that the Scot hit on the outside of his foot that was bending away from Houtkooper and hit the inside of the post. After this goal, the game started getting chippy as five yellow cards and a red card were given out. Two yellows and the red were given to Alma, and the other three were assessed to Kalamazoo. Then, Michele Alia sealed the game in the 86th minute with an unassisted rocket right under the crossbar for his third goal of the season.
Houtkooper finished with one save on two attempts. The Hornets had more shots (20-5), corner kicks (10-3), and fouls (20-17), while the Scots had more saves (6-1).
Kalamazoo will continue MIAA play with a road game at Adrian on Tuesday (Oct. 17), beginning at 7 p.m.