By Fred Kroner
Five players put in goals on Thursday (April 8) as M-S dispatched Effingham 5-2 in an Apollo Conference match in Effingham.
Tucker Antonacci, Clayton Gibson, Sam Henrichs, Nate Lundstrom and Eli Warren found the back of the net for the Bulldogs.
Logan Woodward was credited with three assists. Lundstrom and Warren each had one assist.
M-S led at intermission, 3-1, and expanded the margin by scoring the first goal of the second half. Woodward delivered the ball to Lundstrom on a free kick to start the scoring during the opening two minutes of the match.
On Saturday (April 10), the Bulldogs battled to a 2-2 draw at Charleston.
Lundstrom and Warren scored the M-S goals. Woodward had an assist.
The teams were tied at halftime, 1-1.
“The Bulldogs significantly outchanced Charleston, but a few mental breakdowns let Charleston get out of the game with a tie,” M-S coach Jeremy Davis said.
“Eli Warren was definitely a focus of the Charleston defense, often finding four players surrounding him in the box with Charleston committing most of the team to the defense.
“As he was moved out wider in the second half, he consistently beat two to three Charleston players and created for his teammates. The Dogs controlled the game and were the better team, but Charleston put in two of four chances that they had on the day while the Bulldogs were closer to (scoring) on two of 20.”
M-S (9-1-3) returns to action on Tuesday (April 13) at home against Mattoon. That match will start a sequence of three in three days and four in the final five days of the season.
The Bulldogs are 8-0-2 in Apollo Conference matches and tied for first place with Lincoln, one of the upcoming opponents this week. Mount Zion (another final-week foe) is just one game out of first place.
