The Viking men's soccer team continued its preparation for the upcoming season with its second scrimmage versus Iowa Western Community College which ended in a 3-1 win for the Vikings. The first scrimmage of the pre-season ended in a 3-3 tie against Doane College on Friday night.
Coach Reid rang up the changes for the beginning of the match and opted for a youthful starting lineup. For some it was their first real chance to impress and the team showed promise as they battled through the half creating some chances of their own. They were unlucky to find themselves behind at the half time interval as Iowa Western beat the offside trap and slotted the ball home from 10 yards.
The second half started with a much stronger lineup for Grand View with only two freshmen playing alongside last year's starting lineup. It took the ten minutes for the team to fully get going, but when they did, they tore open the Iowa Western defense. It wasn't long before the equalizer was netted by senior Lyall Menzies from a great pass by junior Mirsad Kazic.The second goal came from a penalty kick, as freshman Cody Bowers beat two defenders before being upended inside of the box. Menzies stepped up and grabbed his second goal of the night by beating the keeper low to his left. Kazic and Menzies once again teamed up to score the Vikings third goal. Although this time Menzies turned provider as Kazic blasted in from 14 yards.
The Vikings were comfortable winners in the end, but Coach Reid knows that there is still work to do before opening the season in Chicago versus Taylor University on the 29th of August.
Viking coach Blair Reid seemed pleased with the result. "The idea of pre-season is to give everyone an opportunity to play. All squad members worked hard and that is very gratifying. The difference was obvious when the more experienced players got their chance to play. More calmness and purpose on and of the ball was evident. I am optimistic at this point. I see this team starting to evolve and the chemistry is jelling."
Grand View finishes its pre-season campaign with a scrimmage against Marshalltown CC this Wednesday at the Luhrs Complex at 5:00pm.
