Maryville – A successful Senior Day celebration was capped off with a victory Saturday afternoon, as Maryville defeated LaGrange 3-0 here at the MC Soccer Complex.
The Scots improved to 4-7-2 on the season and 1-1-0 in Collegiate Conference of the South play, while LaGrange dropped to 2-7-0 and 0-2 in CCS competition.
Before taking the field, Maryville recognized
Craig McIlwraith,
Jorge Graniel,
Brooklyn Muccillo,
Thomas Rude and
Chase Tyson to thank them for their efforts, and to celebrate their on and off-the-field accomplishments during their time at Maryville College.
"It was great to see the seniors out there," head coach
Pepe Fernandez said. "I think the story of the day was
Thomas Rude. You know, it was his first start here and we left him in for the whole game because he was one of the best players on the field all day."
"We only brought him out in the last two or three minutes to give him a round of applause. For him to go out and perform like he did on Senior day is such a fantastic story."
Rude played a career-high 88 minutes and was the defensive anchor for the Scots' squad as they shut down LaGrange.
MC scored its first goal of the game on an incredible play by
Brady Hammer and goalkeeper
Christian Alcaraz. In the 15th minute of play, Alcaraz booted a towering kick from his own box, all the way into the attacking zone.
The goalie hit Hammer in stride, who then carried the ball into the opposing box before left footing a goal past the Panthers keeper from 15 yards out to put MC ahead 1-0.
On top of his assist, Alcaraz made five saves in the contest and recorded his third shutout of the season. He has made 51 saves on the year and upped his save percentage to 78.5 percent.
The remainder of the first half was a scoreless affair, but Maryville quickly got on the board with a 51st-minute goal from
Hayden Tate. The sophomore found the back of the net after a rebounded shot from
Will Brush found his foot and he scored from 5 yards out. Brush was credited with an assist on the play.
The Scots scored their third and final goal in the 71st minute, this time off the foot of Graniel, who was acknowledged during the Senior Day ceremony. Fellow senior McIlwraith recorded the assist on the goal.
McIlwraith passed the ball just from beyond midfield, hitting a streaking Graniel in stride up the middle of the attacking zone. The Murfreesboro product made one move before firing a right-footed shot into the goal from 10 yards.
Maryville outshot the Panthers 17-11 Saturday afternoon, bolstered by a 9-4 deficit in the second half. Graniel, Hammer and
Ethan Denney led the charge in that category, attempting three shots each. Colin Combs also recorded multiple shots for the Scots, recording two on the day.
Maryville is back on the road Wednesday afternoon for a CCS matchup against newest league-foe Asbury. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Wilmore, Kentucky.
