Box Score PALATINE, Ill. – After being held off the scoresheet for its first two games of the season, the Harper College men's soccer team broke out in a big win in its North Central Community College Conference (N4C) opener against visiting Madison College.
Manny Menjivar (/Huntley),
Misa Vargas (Austin, Texas/Belton) and
Niko Mihalopoulos (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Huntley) all found the back of the net in a 3-0 Hawks win over the WolfPack.
Harper (1-1-1, 1-0 N4C) also got a solid effort from goalkeeper Jacob Goldstein (Buffalo Grove, Ill. /Stevenson ) (1-1-1), who made 10 saves in a shutout.
In the 22nd minute, Colin O'Meara (Palatine, Ill/Palatine) sent a free kick into the box, and Menjivar took control, dribbled around the defense, and put the ball in the right side of the net past Madison (1-2-1) goalie John Arendt to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.
Harper struck again in the 36th minute as Alex Ramirez (Carpentersville, Ill./Dundee-Crown) found Vargas, who dribbled past Arendt and scored his first goal of the season to make it 2-0 heading into halftime. Goldstein was tested in the first half, but he was up to the task with six saves.
Madison also had some prime scoring chances in the second half with 13 shots, led by Alfredo Ramirez-Pinho (eight shots, four on goal in game), but Goldstein made some impressive stops to give the WolfPack off the scoreboard.
The Hawks tallied their final goal of the game in an 88th minute on an unbelievable solo effort from Mihalopoulos. The forward weaved through the Madison defense, put a move on the goalkeeper, and dribbled in for an easy goal to extend the lead to 3-0.
Both teams put 10 shots on goal in the game. Menjivar, Ramirez, and Juan Hernandez (Wheeling, Ill./Wheeling) each had two shots on net.
The Hawks are back in action on Friday afternoon as they travel to Joliet Junior College (3-1, 1-0 N4C) for a 4 PM N4C match.
