The UW-Whitewater men’s soccer team was off to a 4-2 start this season, with two heartbreaking home losses to highly ranked teams. Coming into their game last Wednesday against the Wartburg Knights, the Warhawks could not take losing at home anymore.
In a game that felt more like a chess match than a shootout, the Warhawks squeezed through a late goal to win their first home game 1-0 against the Knights. This is the first time in five years that the Warhawk/Knight Cup belongs to the Warhawks.
It was a scrappy first half with many close chances for both teams, including a near header goal for the Warhawks in the last seconds of the first half. Chances continued for both teams as they advanced the ball back and forth in the second half, but the defense was too unified for either team to break through.
It looked as if the game would end in a draw, that is until the Warhawks said enough is enough. As the 82nd minute rolled around, an entry throw by senior defender Adam Kaup reached the crowded goal box and was kicked back to junior forward Hayden Saul, who threaded a shot through the clutter of players to give the Warhawks the lead with little time left. This was Saul’s second goal of the season, tying him for second-most on the team.
“The ball was getting bounced around, so I gave myself space, ball came out to me, and it was an easy shot I just had to slide it right through,” Saul said.
A late charge by Wartburg was shut down, and the Warhawks were crowned victorious.
On their second half adjustments, Saul added that the team “needed to use our width more, and we did. You could tell we were running up the sidelines, getting shots on goal, it was great.”
Another contributing factor to this win was freshman goalkeeper Thiago Vieira. Despite being a freshman, Vieira is a communicative and loud player that gels the team together. His efforts and contribution go much further than just his performance.
When asked about his communication and energy, Vieira said that “it’s always been a big part of my game, I like being able to move my teammates around and tell them where to go. The communication aspect is something I’ve practiced since I was young and it’s just been implemented in my mind… and it works.”
Both Saul and Vieira expressed their goals of winning every conference game this year and following that by making the NCAA tournament. Head coach Tony Guinn conveyed the same message, along with the high expectations of the team and the frustration and pain of losing close games.
“There’s a lot of pressure here to be successful,” Guinn said. “Having a winning season is great, but the goal at Whitewater is to make the NCAA tournament. From the moment I woke up today, all I thought about was ‘we gotta play Wartburg and they’re really good.”
Despite all the nerves and uncertainty, the Warhawks came through and brought home a trophy to show for it. This team runs deep and consists of many underclassmen who are ready to play.
“We played like seven freshmen tonight, and they really showed up,” Guinn said.
The Warhawks travel to Dubuque, Iowa, to play Loras Oct. 1, and later that week, conference play will kick off against UW-Stevens Point Oct. 4 at home.
