In a defensive struggle throughout the full 90 minutes, it was the Shawnee State men's soccer program who emerged victorious over the Thomas More Saints' men's soccer program as Kevin de Lange's 37th minute blast and Bruno Rovares 61st minute goal were the difference-makers in a hard-fought 2-0 victory in the Bears' Mid-South Conference opener Sunday evening at Thomas More's BB&T Field in Crestview Hills, Ky. The win marks Shawnee State's first-ever 3-0 start to any season in the history of the program.
Throughout the contest, both teams fought for control in the middle third of the field, with significant offensive chances coming at a premium as a result. The conference opener for both squads also proved to be rugged, with each unit committing 17 fouls apiece and combining for six yellow cards in the contest. Despite the physical nature of the affair, Shawnee State claimed a 10-6 shot edge and a 3-2 advantage in shots on goal in the contest.
Rovares rises above
Through the rugged competition and the cold conditions that greeted both teams throughout the day, it was Bruno Rovares who rose above all of it to provide outstanding play.
In the 38th minute, Rovares found Kevin de Lange for a blast off of the edge of the box, helping Shawnee State claim a needed goal that helped break a grudge match between the Saints. The Sao Paolo, Brazil native then collected a significant blast to help give the Bears the breathing room it needed to claim victory, with the 5-11 offensive talent scoring from more than 20 yards away toward the left side of the turf, to finalize the scoring that he helped start.
His goal and assist in the contest has Rovares sitting at two goals and two assists through three games in Shawnee State's 2020-21 campaign. Rovares, a major cog in the Bears' 3-0 start to the season, now has six goals and four assists for his career in a Shawnee State uniform.
de Lange keeps adding to career marks
Not surprisingly, Kevin de Lange's talented play led to yet another goal for the senior, who has scored at least once in each of his first three games to begin the season.
Now with seven goals and an assist through three games in the 2020-21 slate, de Lange stands alone as the Mid-South Conference's leader in goals (seven) and points (15), as well as points per game (five) and goals per game (2.5).
For his career, de Lange continues to inch ever closer to the career records that Shawnee State Hall of Fame Jeff Suter currently holds. His 37 career goals and 90 career points are second all-time to Suter, who has 42 goals and 114 points in all.
van den Bergh, Reefman, Markus big defensively
In the physical matchup, it was the three freshman additions to the backline who played as big as anybody on the field.
van den Bergh, who has essentially been all over the field this season, dovetailed his two shots and a shot on frame with effective blocking and pressing of the ball, no more evident than in a shot by Griffin Garrison in the 20th minute that van den Bergh blocked away from the goal in arguably the most crucial defensive play to the final result.
Reefman, meanwhile, added in effective defensive play of his own while Markus, who pitched his third clean sheet in as many games while adding in a pair of saves, continued to use his 6-7 frame effectively by highpointing free kicks and corner kicks effectively while providing spectacular boots out of Shawnee State's own end.
NEXT UP
Shawnee State (3-0, 1-0 MSC) will face off against Georgetown (1-0) in the nightcapper of a Mid-South Conference doubleheader in Georgetown. The contest will take place at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday evening at Toyota Stadium.
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