Senior Boris Gatzky tallied a goal just over 30
minutes into the match and Butler’s defense turned in another
stellar effort to lift the Bulldogs past visiting Xavier, 1-0, in a
non-league match at the Butler Bowl on Sunday (Sept. 6). The
victory boosted Butler to 2-0 on the young season.
Gatzky provided the game-winner at 31:02. He took a pass
from freshman Jared
Isenthal on the left
side of the net and lofted a shot past Xavier goalkeeper Andre
Bezerra from 10 yards out. The shot, which nestled into the
upper right corner of the net, was Gatzky’s second goal in
two matches.
The goal proved to be
enough for the Bulldogs, who recorded their second consecutive
shutout.
The Musketeers (0-1), who had just one shot on goal in the first
45 minutes, picked up the attack in the second half. Two
minutes into the final period Butler goalkeeper
Nick Hegeman came up with a save on a point-blank shot
from Xavier’s Daniel Sherry to keep the shutout intact.
Fourteen minutes later Xavier’s Brandon Bucher attempted a
shot and Hegeman made a diving save. The ball deflected to
the Musketeers’ Kennedy Nakwa, who was looking at an open
goal. But junior Brett Heinz jumped in front and
deflected the scoring attempt.
Gatzky had a couple of solid scoring opportunities in the final
period, but Bezerra stopped both. Butler freshman
Tyler
Pollock also
broke free on a one-on-one attack against Bezerra, but his shot
attempt slipped wide to the right.
The Bulldogs finished with a 16-8 advantage in shots, including a
6-4 edge in shots on goals. Gatzky had a match-high five
shots, including three shots on goal, while junior
Jacob
Capito added
four shots, including two shots on goal.
Hegeman, who picked up his first win of the season, finished with
three saves.
The Bulldogs will return to action on Friday, Sept. 11, at the
South Carolina Tournament. Butler will face the host
Gamecocks at 7 p.m. (ET).
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