September 8, 2008

Eureka wins 1st game ever behind O'Malley's 5 Goal Outburst

Boxscore

EUREKA — Through its first 20 games of intercollegiate play, the Eureka College men's soccer team was left searching for its first win. Of course, it also had never seen a performance like the one turned in by the Red Devils' Brian O'Malley (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame) against Lincoln Christian College Monday afternoon.

O'Malley exploded with a school record five goals versus the unsuspecting Preachers, leading the Red Devils (1-3) to their first victory in 21 tries. Playing into the wind in the first half, Eureka played even with Lincoln Christian for the first 45 minutes. O'Malley drew first blood 5:20 into the contest, but LCC scored twice within an eight minute window to take a 2-1 lead in the 36th minute.

With less than five minutes in the frame, a pass off the foot of David Crady (Germantown Hills, Ill./Metamora) led O'Malley behind the LCC defense. He beat the keeper to the far corner to knot the score at 2-2 heading into halftime.

It did not take long for the Red Devils to assert themselves following the intermission. Crady again was credited with an assist as O'Malley carded his third goal of the match less than one minute into the second half. He went on to add an unassisted tally in the 55th minute before converting a penalty kick with 18:02 remaining after he drew a foul in the penalty box.

Derek Johnson (Leland, Ill./HS) then padded the Eureka lead with his first goal his college career in the 77th minute. Meanwhile ,the EC defense pitched a shutout over the final 54 minutes to preserve the 6-2 victory.

The Red Devils out-shot Lincoln Christian 30-7 on the day, including a 17-3 spread after halftime. The total may well have been even more lopsided had it not been for Eureka being called for an alarming 14 offside infractions.

Eureka will continue the busy non-conference portion of its schedule Wednesday, Sept. 10 against Millikin University. The game is set for 5:00 pm in Eureka, which follows the women's match up starting at 3:00 pm.

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For More Information Contact:

Bryan Moore
Sports Information Director
Eureka College
300 E. College Avenue
Eureka, Illinois 61530
309-467-6456
bmoore@eureka.edu