The No. 13 Lindenwood men's soccer team extended its current winning-streak to 11 games with a 3-1 non-conference victory over the Delta State Statesmen on Wednesday afternoon. The match was played at Delta Field in Cleveland, Miss.
Lindenwood controlled play to open the match, spending the majority of the first 25 minutes on the Delta State end of the field. The Lions persistence would produce the first goal of the match at the 25:50 mark of play.
Xhovani Dokaj registered the unassisted score, his MIAA-leading 15th goal of the season. Following his fourth goal in as many matches, Dokaj equaled the MIAA single-season mark of 15 goals set by Northeastern State's Juan Peralta in the 2012 season.
Lindenwood would extend its lead to a two-goal margin in the 33rd minute.
Nijaz Muratovic picked up the unassisted score for the Lions, his fifth tally of the season.
The Lions would carry the 2-0 lead into halftime, having held the Statesmen to zero shots on goal in the first half of action.
In the second half as the match entered the 50th minute of play, Delta State would cut into the Lindenwood lead, bringing the score to 2-1.
Following the Delta State goal, Lindenwood continued to apply pressure on the offensive end of the field. After consecutive corner kick opportunities for the Lions in the 57th and 58th minutes, Lindenwood would convert at the 57:50 mark of the match. Dokaj sent a pass across the goal box to
Gaspar Alvarez, who successfully headed the ball into the back of the net. The goal was the fourth of the season for Alvarez and sent Lindenwood ahead by a score of 3-1.
Aleksa Nenadic and
Tim Licht split time in goal for the Lions. Nenadic made the start and earned his 12th victory of the season.
In the end, Lindenwood held the edge in shots (13-9), shots on goal (7-1), and corner kicks (10-6).
After the non-conference victory, Lindenwood improves its record to 12-2-2. With the loss, Delta State drops to 5-11-1. The Lions will return home to St. Charles, Mo. for an MIAA matchup with the Upper Iowa Peacocks on Saturday afternoon. Game time is set for 12:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at Hunter Stadium.
