The Beta Gamma Delta Patriots and the Sigma Alpha Chi Spartans met last Friday in the third week of intramural soccer competition, resulting in a 3-0 Beta victory.
The game got off to a quick start when Spartan freshman Gabriel Lee received a pass downfield, powered his way past the defense and ripped a shot four minutes in. Beta’s goalie made a great stop and nullified Sigma’s only quality scoring opportunity in the half.
Two minutes later, after several Beta shot attempts, the Patriots’ freshman Nathan Ennis scored the first goal of the game with an assist from veteran senior Caleb Franco. Senior Will Edwards also provided a strong presence for Beta with several close shot attempts in the first and second halves. Post-graduate student Etienne Jodar and senior Jon Eddings did a good job of keeping the Patriots’ pressure up, but Sigma’s sophomore goalie Evan Fisher thwarted their efforts and preserved the 1-0 deficit.
The second half was offensively slow, with neither team scoring for more than 20 minutes. Spartan forward Lee tried his best to propel a struggling Sigma offense, but Beta’s defense was quick to jump on any chance he had at scoring. Fisher blocked several shots on goal, but Ennis scored once again 24 minutes into the second half, giving the Patriots a 2-0 advantage.
The next two minutes were full of energy as Beta and Sigma each exchanged great shots, but it was Beta who again came out with a goal. Sophomore Jae Kim came off the bench and put another Franco assist away in the back of the net.
Sigma couldn’t seem to find its rhythm Friday night, and although Fisher did his best to limit the Patriots’ goal count, it wasn’t enough to hold Beta back from a 3-0 win. The game ended appropriately, with Fisher sending the ball back to Beta’s half one last time.
The Patriots’ record is now 1-0-2, tying both Omega and Pi Gamma earlier this year, and the Spartans fall to 1-2-0, with a win over Nu Delta Chi and losses to the Pi Kappa Cobras and now the Patriots. The Alpha Razorbacks are looking like the team to beat this year at 3-0-0, while the Cobras are close behind at 2-0-0.