Lourdes solidified its berth in next week's Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament with a 2-0 victory over Cornerstone in the rain on Wednesday evening at the CU Soccer Stadium in Grand Rapids, Mich.
"I was really proud of the guys tonight," head coach
Barry Spitzer said afterwards. "They played with a lot of heart, especially after the tough loss on Saturday night."
Lourdes managed just four shots in the match, but the only two that were on frame went into the back of the net.
Akilla Arno (Omaha, Neb./Northwest Magnet H.S.) found
Carlos Viganoni (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Western H.S.) after picking up a bouncing ball, and Viganoni beat goalkeeper Nick Hopkins at the 12:33 mark to put the Gray Wolves up 1-0.
Jake Kirchoff-Sleet (Tamworth, England/Queen Elizabeth's Mercian H.S.) added an insurance goal with just under 10 minutes remaining in the match, firing a blast from outside the box after receiving a feed from
Jacob Skattner (Gothenburg, Sweden/Hulebacksgymnasiet H.S.). The goal was Kirchoff-Sleet's team-leading eighth of the season while Skattner collected his first collegiate point.
Lourdes was outshot by Cornerstone (7-9-1, 5-4-1 WHAC) 10-4 for the match and conceded six corner opportunities while winning just two.
Mark Darling (Jacksonville, Fla./Mandarin H.S.) made three saves in goal, coming on in relief in the seventh minute, to earn the win.
Lourdes (7-6-1, 5-4-1) will look to improve its seeding in the upcoming postseason event as the Gray Wolves close out the regular season on Saturday evening. Lourdes will host Madonna with kickoff set for 5 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium.