JOLIET, ILL. - The Madison College men's soccer team rebounded from their first loss in five weeks by claiming a 2-1 road decision over Region 4 foe Joliet Junior College on Saturday. Freshman Jacob Unger broke a 1-1 tie with the game-winning goal. The WolfPack is 18-12-4 all-time against the Wolves, and have won ten straight over a 13-match stretch without a loss in the head-to-head series.

Madison College took a 1-0 lead in the 12' when freshman midfielder Rodrigo Lasso gained control of the ball past midfield and started the WolfPack towards a 4-3 break. A short pass ahead found first year forward Hudson Nielson, and the Huntley, Illinois, native capitalized with a low kick that snuck past the Wolves goalkeeper for his seventh goal of the season. The scoring strike snaps a five-match scoreless streak for Nielsen, who had previously posted six goals over three matches.

The one-goal differential held into the second half when Joliet Junior College (9-5) connected on the equalizer. A pass from the right sideline into the penalty box was deflected by a header and ended at the feet of Jonathan Mendez, who promptly sent a shot passed goalkeeper Victor Dalum in the 51'. 

As the match moved inside of 20 minutes left, the WolfPack continued to apply pressure towards the JJC goal. A tackle against Lasso sent the ball past the endline and awarded Madison College with a 74' corner kick. Lasso, a former Beaver Dam HS athlete, delivered a short kick and an airborne Unger was able to get a boot on it to score the game-winner. 



The match saw limited offensive opportunities with Madison College owning a 12-5 lead in a total shots, but just a 4-2 advantage in shots on goal. They also owned a 6-1 lead in corner kicks, with the fourth one paying off on the go-ahead goal.

The goal by Unger gives the Sussex, Wisconsin, native, two goals on the season, with the previous goal coming in the season's second match. Lasso picked up two assists in the win to increase his total to a team-high seven. It's his second multi-assist game of 2024.

Dalum finished with one save and one goal allowed over his 90 minutes.



Up Next:

Madison College (7-3-2) wraps up the road-portion of their regular season schedule on Wednesday, October 16 with a trip to Triton College (8-5-2). The Trojans own a 23-7-1 edge in the all-time series. Game time in River Grove, Illinois, is at 6:30 p.m. and can be live streamed here.

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