Huskies Men’s Soccer falls 2-1 in inaugural match

Friday, September 3

Rapid City, S.D.

7 p.m.

St. Cloud State

South Dakota Mines

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

9/3/2021 9:30:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Men's Soccer opened their inaugural season on Friday evening in Rapid City, South Dakota, falling 2-1 to South Dakota Mines in a thrilling match. Junior midfielder Zinedine Kroeten scored the first goal in program history just seven minutes into the game, sliding in with the left foot to knock in a well-directed deflection right in front of the goal from Nolan Pratumwon after a brilliant centering pass from Emmanuel Iwe. SCSU created a multitude of chances in the box throughout the evening, finishing with eight shots on goal, and led 1-0 through the first 45 minutes. The Hardrockers scored twice in the second half and doubled down in the defensive half, closing out the 2-1 final.

TURNING POINT

In the 55th minute, South Dakota Mines took an excellent opportunity in the box that was initially saved by junior keeper Gage Steiner. A herculean effort by Jakob Mohrlok nearly cleared the ball from the goal, but a second-effort Hardrocker deflection knotted the game at one. SD Mines went on to score the decisive second goal on a free kick centered to the keeper's right, tucked in just inside the right post past a full-extension diving try from Steiner.

TOP HUSKIES

• Junior forward Zinedine Kroeten scored the first goal in St. Cloud State program history just before the seventh minute and led the Huskies with three shots on goal.
• Junior goalkeeper Gage Steiner made five saves, including a handful of incredible diving stops.

NOTES

• Zinedine Kroeten's goal was the first of his collegiate career.
• The Huskies led for 48 minutes of the match following Kroeten's marker.
• SCSU led in corner kicks (6-3) and shots on goal (8-7).
• Kroeten also recorded the first shot on goal in program history, putting a chance on the keeper 59 seconds into the match.

QUOTABLES

St. Cloud State Men's Soccer Head Coach Sean Holmes

"We got a few first jitters out of the way. We scored a good goal early, and dominated possession and chances in the first half. In the second half we showed our youth and moments of indiscipline. A terrific first effort, lots of effort and enthusiasm, with composure and maturity to come."

UP NEXT

St. Cloud State matches up with South Dakota Mines again on Saturday evening in Rapid City. The game will start at 7:00 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on the RMAC Network.

For all the latest on St. Cloud State Men's Soccer, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.