Brizuela's goal pushes Bees past Tigers in season opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Iowa Wesleyan (0-1-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
St. Ambrose (1-0-0) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
St. Ambrose kicked off their 2022 season on Thursday night in Davenport against Iowa Wesleyan. The Bees (1-0) needed just one goal to take the season opener and shut out the Tigers (0-1) to come away with a 1-0 victory at the St. Vincent's Athletic Complex.
IW had the first chance of the night in the 13th minute, but Zach Bauer was able to turn away the shot. SAU got their only goal of the night in the 28th minute after a handball was called in the box on the Tigers. Jorge Brizuela stepped up and slotted the ball to the bottom right corner of the net to give the Bees a 1-0 lead. Trent Fitzpatrick had an opportunity to add to the St. Ambrose lead, but his shot went wide right in the 33rd minute, and SAU would head into halftime with the lead.
Iowa Wesleyan had chances in the 72nd and 73rd minutes to tie it up, but Bauer was able to make stops on both attempts to keep St. Ambrose ahead. Spencer Pyle had a great chance for SAU in the 82nd minute, but his header hit off the crossbar. Eli Elliot took a shot off of Pyle's header, but it was blocked. The Bees held on from there and earned their first win of the season.
SAU was outshot 14-7, and their only shot on goal was the penalty kick. Iowa Wesleyan had a slight edge in corner kicks, 7-6, but Bauer dominated in net for the Bees making six saves on the night.
St. Ambrose will travel to Culver-Stockton on August 31 with game time set for 7:30 p.m.
