The Journal

Issue date: 9/21/06 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Ashley Heifner Webster's Kyle Regan makes friends with MacMurray College's Paul Njoku during a Sept. 16 home game.

After being absent for much of the first three games, the offense appears to have awakened for the Webster University men's soccer team this past week. In three previous contests, the Gorloks only managed to sneak only two balls past the keeper. The Gorloks answered with eight goals in their past two games.

In their 3-2 win against the Maryville University Saints, sophomore captain Kevin Fann scored his second goal of the season before fellow sophomore Kyle Regan added a pair of goals to help guide the Gorloks to their second win of the season. Sophomore goalkeeper Dustin Simpson recorded his second win of the year in as many attempts.

Riding the momentum of a solid victory, Webster's next challenge surfaced when the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference began play over the weekend. Webster hosted MacMurray College as the Highlanders came to the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park to attempt to dethrone the defending conference champion Gorloks on their home turf.

Webster blanked MacMurray 5-0, soundly defeating them in every aspect of the game.

The Gorloks dominated with tough and aggressive defense, keeping all Highlander attackers away from senior goalie Chris Hartman for the majority of the game, forcing the Highlanders to shoot from long-range. Hartman was credited with his first win of the season, but recorded his second shutout after Webster battled Rhodes College to a 0-0 tie in his previous start.

Webster also dictated the offensive tempo for the entire 90 minutes of the game.

"We played good all around against MacMurray," Fann said. "Everybody's playing good defense and it's opening up the offense."

Just six minutes into the contest, Fann connected with his head on a cross from the baseline and redirected it past the keeper, giving Webster a 1-0 lead. However, the goal was taken off the board as the linesman raised his yellow flag signaling offsides. Fann and the Gorloks would not be denied.

Twenty minutes into the first half, senior midfielder Alen Basic dribbled quickly down the sideline, eluding defenders before launching a perfect ball across the middle of the box as his momentum carried him out of bounds. The ball landed precisely at Fann's feet as he settled it and unloaded a blast through traffic beating the goalie up high.

Continued...

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