The Case Western Reserve University men’s soccer team continues to win, dominating Waynesburg University 9-0 on Saturday to improve to an overall record of 12-2-1 and 3-1 in conference play. The Yellow Jackets fall to 1-14-1 on the season including 1-4-1 in conference play.

The scoring started early for the Spartans, who found the back of the net three times in the first half, with three different players scoring. The scoring began in the 13th minute with fourth-year student and forward Matthew Zembas. Two more goals were scored in the half by fourth-year student Alex Masciopinto and first-year student Paul Darmstadter.

The second half went even better for the Spartans as second-year student Alex Keller-Biehl and third-year student Brandon White each scored three goals, completing the blowout. The goals for Keller-Biehl were his first of the season, as he worked his way into the rotation and made the most of his opportunities. When asked about what worked so well in his team’s offensive strategy, head coach Brandon Bianco said, “We made getting 15 plus [shots on goal] a specific goal of ours going into the game and the guys focused on this. Our specific focus I think helped us with having a good attacking mindset.”

The Spartans tallied an incredible 30 shots, with 19 of them being on goal. Furthermore, this was the ninth shutout of the season for the Spartans, including their third straight. Goalkeeper Thomas Nolan faced three shots on goal and saved all three of them in his first start of the season.

When asked about the confidence of the team after a big win like this, coach Brandon Bianco said, “The win was good because we got some of our younger players a lot of minutes and experience. They scored six goals which is great for morale.”

As the season winds down, these next two games are crucial for the team to win the University Athletic Association (UAA) Conference. Bianco, in discussing his team’s goals for the remainder of the season, with expectations being so high, kept his team’s season in context by saying, “Our ultimate team goal is to win the next game. This is our focus. We’ve positioned ourselves well and if we win our next game in the final three we play we should be okay,” said Bianco.

It has been a season to remember for the men’s soccer team, which is currently tied with Emory University atop the UAA conference. Certainly the squad expects to win these next couple of games and, with the help of a Emory loss, be the UAA Conference champion.