From Washington University Athletics
Sophomore Makio Yamamoto broke a scoreless tie with an unassisted goal in the 79th minute as the Washington University in St. Louis men's soccer team posted a 1-0 victory at No. 23 ranked Luther College Sunday in Decorah, Iowa. The goal for Yamamoto was the first of his career.
"Luther was a good team and they made it extremely difficult for us. The guys are learning and our backline play more as a unit today," said 21st-year head coach Joe Clarke. "I think our midfield was to one-sided in the first half. In the second half, we made it more difficult for them."
Senior goalkeeper Colin McCune made two saves and posted the first shutout of his career. McCune and the WashU defense allowed just one goal in 200 minutes played during a two-game road swing in Iowa.
Luther outshot WashU in the opening half as the Bears did not have a shot on goal. McCune made two saves to keep it scoreless, including a diving save off a header by Joshua Donkor in 32nd minute.
WashU had its best scoring opportunity with the game tied at 0-0 in the 65th minute when junior Ryan Sproule got through the defense and had a breakaway, but his shot went in the hands of Luther goalkeeper Lincoln Saxton. Sproule had another golden chance in the 66th minute inside the box, but was denied by Saxton.
Luther outshot WashU 16-8, and the Norse had a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks.
"I am really happy for Makio. He is a fun player to work with and very happy for him, Clarke added. "This was a tough road trip for us, playing two really good teams."
WashU (1-0-1) takes on DePauw University on Friday, Sept. 8, in the 2017 home opener. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on the Bear Sports Network.
BEAR NOTEBOOK: WashU and Luther met for the second time in school history … The Bears last win over a ranked team was on Sept. 18, 2016 – a 4-0 win over Luther … WashU broke a string of three-straight ties dating back to last season.