Governors State men’s soccer split its pair of matches this past week, falling on the road at Division I Northern Illinois before rolling to a decisive shutout victory at Calumet.
On Sunday in DeKalb, the Jaguars held NIU scoreless through the first half before the Huskies broke through with four second-half goals en route to a 4–1 final. Sophomore Jose Antonio provided the lone GovState strike, converting a penalty kick in the 76th minute to bring the Jaguars within a goal at 2–1 before NIU pulled away late. Zaid Sibaai and Geoffroy Agbokou each put shots on frame, while goalkeeper Matias Gallego turned aside four saves in his collegiate debut.
The Jaguars bounced back Wednesday with a dominant 6–0 road win at Calumet, their first shutout of the season and first CCAC victory. Sibaai got things started with a pair of quick goals in the opening 15 minutes, both unassisted, to set the tone. After halftime, the Jaguars poured it on behind a three-goal performance from freshman Lexani Gaines, who recorded his first collegiate hat trick in the span of 15 minutes. Mattia Motzo added his first of the year off a feed from Marton Borombos to round out the scoring.
Gallego needed just two saves to secure the clean sheet, as GovState’s back line allowed only three total shots. In all, the Jaguars fired 25 shots with 16 on target, dictating play from start to finish.
GovState (2–7, 1–0 CCAC) will look to keep the momentum rolling when it faces Saint Xavier on Saturday at Dowling Park in Hammond, Indiana. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.