Contact: Matthew Eaker, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, mreaker@noctrl.edu 

Sept. 3, 2022 - Playing at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium for the first time since Nov. 6, the North Central College men's soccer team held off the Kalamazoo College Hornets offense for a 2-1 win Saturday afternoon. 

The Cardinals (2-0-0) put the pressure on the Hornets (0-2-0) from the opening whistle as Ty Konrad had an opportunity just three minutes into the game but his shot was blocked by the Hornet defense. The Cardinals controlled the possession in the first half and both offenses stalled until the 44th minute where Edoardo Bonifacio finished off a pass from Eloi Nyibizi to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead heading into halftime. 

The Cardinals came out firing in the second half as Branden Collins had an opportunity in the 47th minute but his shot missed just right of the net. In the 59th minute, the Cardinals looked to strike again as Sam Abreu sent a strike from just outside the box but the Hornets goalkeeper, Gavin Houtkooper, made an acrobatic save to shut down the Cardinal attack. The Cardinals seemed to have a goal but Johnny Kraemer was taken down by Houtkooper in the box, awarding him a penalty kick. Kraemer would bury the penalty kick in the lower right corner to put the Cardinals up by two in the 62nd minute. The Hornets offense started to come alive while putting pressure on the Cardinal defense and in the 68th minute, Kraemer took down Michele Alia inside the box, giving the Hornets a penalty kick. Alia would put one past Sid Marquardt to cut the Cardinal lead to one with just 20 minute remaining in the game. The Cardinal defense would hold strong and eliminate all of the Hornets chances, giving them a 2-1 victory.

The Cardinals possessed the ball for over half of today's contest, out shooting the Hornets 14-5. Sid Marquardt improved his record to 2-0-0 while tallying one save on two shots. 

The Cardinals are back in action on Monday, Sept. 5 as they host the Carleton College Knights in a non conference matchup at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. The action is set to begin at 12:30 pm. For live coverage of Monday's contest, click HERE. 

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