CLEVELAND, OHIO - The Cleveland State University men's soccer team used a pair of quick strikes in the opening half along with another strong defensive effort to claim a 3-0 victory over visiting Detroit Mercy on Tuesday afternoon inside the Krenzler Bubble.
With the win, the Vikings (2-1-0) vaulted above .500 in Horizon League play and moved to second place in the early-season standings, trailing only UIC (2-0-1).
Juinor Jannis Schmidt logged a pair of goals while true freshman Bojan Kolevski scored for the second straight match. Goalkeeper Omeed Naeemy picked up his second consecutive clean sheet with four saves, marking the sixth shutout of his career.
THE GAME
Detroit Mercy dominated possession over the first 20 minutes, recording four shots on goal along with a corner while holding the Vikings without a single shot. The tides began to turn when Cleveland State drew a foul inside the Titans' box, setting up a penalty shot for Schmidt, who matched his goal total from the 2019-20 campaign by fooling Detroit Mercy keeper Devin Mendez with a nice finish to the left side.
Only 85 seconds later, Ryan Kolonick received a long pass across the 18 before feeding Kolevski inside the box, who fired a shot just underneath the crossbar that provided no opportunity for Mendez to make a save. The tally marked Kolevski's second in as many games and the first point of the season for Kolonick.
Following Detroit's quick opening spurt, Cleveland State took seven of the final 11 shots of the opening half, including freshman Josh Davis' first collegiate attempt in his second straight start.
In the 61st minute, the two Viking goal-scorers hooked up to strech the lead to 3-0. Kolevski sent a drop near the top of the box before Schmidt launched a rocket into the upper left corner for his second tally of the contest and third of the season.
Cleveland State logged a 4-1 edge in shots over the final half hour of play and continously foiled Detroit Mercy's advances into the attacking third. The Vikings held the Titans to only two shot attempts in the second frame.
Multiple Vikings made their collegiate debuts over the last 10 minutes, including Michael Kelly, Danilo Bakoc and Jacob Weissman. Freshman Parker Csiszar saw action for the second match in a row, logging 10 minutes as a midfielder.
Cleveland State held a 12-10 advantage in shots for the match.
Naeemy made three of his four saves in the first half while improving to 2-1-0 on the year.
UP NEXT
The Vikings return to the field Monday afternoon for a matinee road game at Wright State.