Men's soccer surges past Gillette to open October

Comets score four second-half goals in latest clean-sheet victory

Joao Triguerio (center) and Tyler Witter (left) maneuver past a Gillette defender during Western Iowa Tech's 5-0 win on Monday, Oct. 2 at Ruegger Field in Sioux City. Photo by Dante Frattini
Joao Triguerio (center) and Tyler Witter (left) maneuver past a Gillette defender during Western Iowa Tech's 5-0 win on Monday, Oct. 2 at Ruegger Field in Sioux City. Photo by Dante Frattini
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October 3, 2023

The Western Iowa Tech men's soccer team found itself in a familiar position halftime Monday against the visiting Gillette Pronghorns.

The Comets led a non-conference opponent 1-0 thanks to a quick strike in the third minute of the match. On September 25, the Comets would generate just three more shots on goal and walk away wondering what could have been after their 1-1 draw against Northwestern JV.

It was a lesson WIT only had to learn once.

The Comets (8-5-2) came out hungry and aggressive against the Pronghorns, and finished what they started with a 5-0 victory. It's the first win against an NJCAA Division I program, and WIT's seventh clean sheet this season.

"The guys responded coming out in the second half and creating chance after chance," head coach Alex Scheuler said. "And eventually we were able to leave no doubt."

WIT's defense kept life easy for goalkeeper Victor Goscinski, who didn't face a single shot on goal.

Aran Vivar Hernandez (3', 70'), scored his team-leading 10th and 11th goals of the year. Ben Shields (55') scored his ninth, Julian Mena (80') scored his second and Nhlakanipho Ngubane (86') scored his fifth.

Matias Garcia Castilla earned two assists, while Gabriel Avellan, Tyler Witter and Shields each had one.

"Every day as a staff we've been challenging the guys whether they want to be good or great," Scheuler said. "This comes down to having a high standard of training and applying that to game situations."

The commitment to that high standard helped the Comets break a four-match winless stretch (0-3-1) and sets themselves up for continued success as the ICCAC gauntlet continues with matches against Hawkeye on Saturday and Iowa Central on Wednesday.

WIT's one remaining non-conference match is against Johnson County, which is currently ranked 13th in NJCAA Division II.