Lourdes registered back-to-back victories for the first time this season on Saturday as the Gray Wolves defeated Siena Heights 3-2 at O'Laughlin Stadium in Adrian, Mich.
This was a really important win for us," head coach
Matt Johnson said after the match. "Siena Heights is a talented group and they fought hard for the full 90 minutes. We're starting to find some confidence and cutting edge in front of the goal which is great."
Lourdes took the lead just over 21 minutes into the match as
Eli Bride (Northville, Mich./Farmington H.S.) got behind the Saints defense and crossed the ball to
Austin Gibbons (Toledo, Ohio/Whitmer H.S.) who found the back of the net for his team-leading fourth goal of the season. For Bride, the assist was his first collegiate point.
The Gray Wolves took the 1-0 lead into intermission after outshooting Siena Heights 7-3 in the first half.
The Saints tied the game at the 57:37 mark as Guilherme Ramos scored the first of his two goals on the afternoon.
Just over 12 minutes later,
Martin Coronel (Asuncion, Paraguay/San Jose) was fouled in the penalty box and
Ariel Ramirez Rios (San Lorenzo, Paraguay/Colegio Aula Vira) stepped up to the spot and converted to the lower right corner, putting the Gray Wolves in front 2-1. The goal was the first of Ramirez Rios' career.
Coronel then scored a goal of his own with 15 minutes remaining on a breakaway in which he chipped the ball over Saints netminder Ricardo Moreno for a key insurance tally, giving him three goals on the year.
Siena Heights (6-8-2, 2-5-2 WHAC) cut its deficit in half on Ramos' second goal of the match with just under 10 minutes to play but the Gray Wolves kept the hosts off the scoreboard the rest of the way to pick up three key points in the standings.
Lourdes outshot the Saints 16-6 for the match with
Alex Brock (Sylvania, Ohio/Southview H.S.) making three saves in goal for the Gray Wolves. Moreno had five stops for Siena Heights.
Lourdes (4-6-5, 4-3-2) returns home on Wednesday evening to host Cleary at Wildcat Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
"We know Cleary will be a complicated game and we need to be well prepared," Johnson added.
