MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – The Luther College men's soccer team found the perfect way to open the 2022. The Norse stifled Cornell College in their first game of the season, scoring five goals in 90 minutes to defeat the Rams 5-0. Marcos Vila (Madrid, Spain / I.E.S San Fernando) scored two goals for Luther, helping his team open the season with a 1-0 record. 

ALL NORSE, ALL DAY
Luther wasted no time getting on the board in its season opener, as Vila scored the team's first goal of 2022 at 2:27 in the first half. The second goal followed exactly 27 minutes later, as Will Overberg (Ankeny, Iowa / Centennial) scored on a cross from Vila to put the Norse up 2-0 with 29:27 on the clock. 

The 2-0 lead was enough for the Luther defense, as the team pitched a near perfect shutout, allowing just one shot, and none on goal, in 90 minutes of play. The offense, then, was allowed to do its thing, scoring three second half goals to secure the 5-0 victory. Vila scored his second goal of the season in the 55th minute, while Luis Oliveira (Salvador, Brazil / Montverde Academy) and Ben Bolte (Pasadena, Calif. / Loyola) both got in on the scoring action, scoring in the 69th and 84th minute to ensure victory for the Norse.

TOP NORSE 

• Fifth year senior Marcos Vila (Madrid, Spain / I.E.S San Fernando) had a season opener to remember, tallying five total points with two goals and an assist. He additionally led the team with three shots, two of which were on goal. 
• Will Overberg (Ankeny, Iowa / Centennial), Luis Oliveira (Salvador, Brazil / Montverde Academy) and Ben Bolte (Pasadena, Calif. / Loyola) scored their first goals of the season with assists from Faydane Ouro-Akondo (Minneapolis, Mnn. / Southwest), João Curvo (Cuiabá, Brazil / Montverde Academy) and Danny Barrett (St. Paul, Minn. / Central)
• Jack Bell (Madison, Wis. / Memorial) earned his first win of the season, as he did not face a single shot in the first half of play. Freshman Aitor Lopez (Madrid, Span) made his Luther debut in the second half and also did not face a single shot thanks to the Norse defense. 

QUOTABLES

Head coach Chris Garcia-Prats on the win:

"Great team performance to open the season with some terrific team goals. Great to get off the mark and looking forward to our continuing growth as a team."

UP NEXT

Luther will hit the road for its next two matches, as the team is set to participate in the St. Norbert Soccer Festival in De Pere, Wisconsin. The Norse will open the festival against the Green Knights at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 3 before taking on Lake Forest at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.

For all the latest on Luther Men's Soccer, stay tuned to luthernorse.com and follow the team on Twitter and Facebook.