Bulldogs Defeat IPFW In Season-Opener
Sophomore Matt Hedges broke a scoreless
deadlock midway through the second half and senior Boris
Gatzky added an insurance goal late in the final period to
lead Butler to a 2-0 victory over host IPFW at Hefner Stadium on
Tuesday, Sept. 1, evening. It was the 2009 men’s soccer
season opener for both teams.
Hedges, who earned All-League honors as a defender a year ago,
scored Butler’s first 2009 goal on a header at 67:33.
Senior Kyle VondenBenken picked up and assist on
the decisive play. The game-winner was the third career goal
for Hedges.
The Bulldogs added an insurance goal with less than three minutes
remaining in the match on Gatzky’s penalty kick. It was
the 11th goal of his Butler career.
Senior Fabian Knopfler started at goalkeeper for
the Bulldogs, and he wound up posting his sixth career
shutout. He recorded four saves in the match. The
Reutlingen, Germany native has recorded four shutouts in his last
five Butler starts.
Butler finished the match with an 18-15 edge in shots and a 9-4
advantage in shots on goal. Gatzky led the way with six total
shots, including five on goal, while junior Kyle
Pateros added four shots, including two on the net.
The Bulldogs will play their first home match of the 2009 campaign
on Sunday, Sept. 6. The non-league match against Xavier is
slated for 5 p.m. (ET) at the Butler Bowl.
