The DePauw men's soccer team left victorious on Wednesday night after a 1-0 win over the Hanover College Panthers, improving their record to an impressive 6-0.
The Tigers were able to jump out to a lead with an early goal from junior forward Andy Morrison in the 21st minute. Panthers' goalkeeper Trevor Korfhagen stopped a shot by first-year Julian Gonzalez but was unable to control the rebound. The loose ball came right out to Morrison, positioned in front of the net. He tapped the goal in, putting the Tigers up 1-0. The Tigers would hang on to win by that same score and in the process, increase their winning streak to six, the best start that any men's soccer team has ever had at DePauw.
However, the win should have come much easier for the Tigers against a much weaker Hanover squad. The oppressive heat and small field size at Hanover made it difficult.
"It was a trap game for us," junior goalkeeper Jacob Pezzuto said. "On paper that should have been an easy win for us, but it turned into a very hard-fought battle."
Pezzuto, who earned his fifth straight shutout of the season, was not tested in net very much by the Panthers. Their only shot on net came by way of a free kick early in the first half. After that, DePauw's defense was able keep Pezzuto from seeing much action.
In fact, the Tigers' defense has been suffocating all year, and Wednesday night was no exception. Pezzuto was quick to give credit to his defense.
"Our defense played phenomenally," Pezzuto said. "There were a couple of shots that were goal bound that were blocked, or our defenders would get up on crosses and knock it out."
As Pezzuto's shutouts continue to pile up, he knows that teams will be fighting extra hard to bring the remarkable streak to a halt.
"As the streak increases, it's going to mean that much more for teams to end that streak," Pezzuto said. "If we play into that emotion, all that's going to do is fuel their fire and we can't let that happen."
The ability of the offense to maintain possession and keep the ball out of the hands of the Panthers was also beneficial to the Tigers.
"We were able to keep possession and the defense didn't need to be tested a whole lot," Morrison said. "When they were tested, the rose to the occasion and really dominated from the defensive end."
The team is trying not to focus on their record and take each game one at a time.
"The game's over, we can't focus on that win. We're already looking forward to Saturday against Principia," Morrison said. "It won't be any different than any of the first six games that we've played so far."
The Tigers will look to improve to 7-0 on Saturday afternoon against the Principia College Panthers at Boswell Field.