IW men top Blackburn

MEDIAPOLIS - Iowa Wesleyan hosted Blackburn College Tuesday in Mediapolis. The Tigers improved to 5-10-1 on the season with a 4-1 win over the Beavers.

Iowa Wesleyan pushed the pace early against the Blackburn defense. IW had two shots inside of four minutes, and with 5:15 on the clock, they took a 1-0 lead over the Beavers. Sebastian Sosa took a pass from Carlos Mateo and found the back of the net for the first goal for the Tigers.

Carlos Mateo gave IW a two goal lead with a goal at the 16:53 minute mark. Francisco Saldana recorded the assist on Mateo's goal. Iowa Wesleyan's shutout was broken up by the Beavers late in the first period. Blackburn scored their first goal with 41:49 on the clock, bringing the score to 2-1. The Tigers outshot Blackburn 13-2 and their only save of the match came in the first half.

In the second half, Iowa Wesleyan continued to pressure the Blackburn defense. IW took 23 shots in the final period, while Blackburn finished the half with three shots. The Tigers had several opportunities on offense early, but they could not find the target. Carlos Mateo was finally able to capitalize on a shot just inside of the 66th minute. He scored an unassisted goal to put Iowa Wesleyan back up by two. Creighten Chambers had the final goal for the Tigers when he took a pass from Fabian Arvizu at the 75:13 minute mark and brought the score to 4-1.

Fabian Arvizu and Carlos Mateo led the Tigers with five shots against the Beavers. Mateo had four shots on goal and had the game winning goal for IW. Chris Rimmer started in the net for Iowa Wesleyan.

IW will be on the road Saturday, Oct. 20, traveling to Fontbonne University for a 3 p.m. match. They are now 5-10-1 on the season and 3-2 in conference play.