SARNIA – Starting the year off on the right foot.
On a warm Saturday afternoon at the Lambton College Soccer Field, the Lambton Men’s Soccer program picked up a big 3-1 win over the visiting Mohawk Mountaineers to begin their 2022 season.
The win also marks the first win for Adam Lakey as Head Coach of the Men’s Soccer program.
“It feels fantastic,” said Lakey following the win. “We had a lot of new guys coming in and we weren’t sure what it would quite look like.”
“Full credit to the boys, this entire performance is on them.”
The Mountaineers found the back of the net first on Saturday, as Ian Kere scored his first of the season for the visitors.
However, it didn’t take long for the Lions to find their rhythm on offense and knot things up at 1-all.
First year striker Ayo Osho had his speed and aggressiveness on display throughout the entire match, and he was rewarded early on. Just four minutes after Mohawk drew first blood, Osho caught the keeper out of position and found the back of the net for his first goal as a member of the Lions.
Osho’s goal gave the young Lions a jolt of momentum, and they carried that into the second half.
Just six minutes out of the break, the Lions got a break on a ball that the Mohawk keeper mishandled. Drew Fraser put what appeared to be a harmless ball on the Mountaineers net, and it found its way through the keeper’s hands and made its way into the back of the net for a 2-1 Lambton lead.
The Mountaineers ramped up their pressure on offense, but Lambton keeper Ky Duong shut the door. Lambton’s defense kept Mohawk’s forwards at bay, and the Lions were rewarded on the other end when James Brown found a loose ball in the box in the 80th minute and added an insurance goal for the home side.
When the final whistle sounded, the Lions came away victorious with a 3-1 win over the Mountaineers, giving the new-look roster some added confidence to build upon as the 2022 season starts to unfold.
The Lions, who were without captain Andrew Moxley on the day, were carried by several newcomers. Jacob Lambert and Andrew Docherty had standout performances in their collegiate debuts, while all three goals were scored by new members of the program.
Up next is a Friday night road trip to take on the Niagara Knights on September 16th.