Photograph: Ryan Jeanfreau (LSUE Photograph)
EUNICE, La. – For the second time in four games, LSU Eunice Men’s Soccer produced a single-game program record for goals, dismantling Northwest Mississippi CC 13-0 on Monday at the Bengals Soccer Complex. The No. 3 Bengals (10-0-1) also secured their fourth double-digit win season in just their six years of program existence.
The 13-goal performance unseats the shortly lived record of 11, set last month against East Mississippi.
It took LSUE 15 minutes into the contest to get the offense warmed up before a flurry of goals. Yvan-Noel Muenyi and Jose Bustamante combined on a give-and-go inside the 18-yard box as Muenyi buried the opening goal in the 15th minute. A few minutes later, Bustamante was on the receiving end of a Ryan Jeanfreau cross, knocking an easy header in.
Continuing the assist a goal then score a goal theme, Jeanfreau would make it 3-0 in the 25th minute after the midfield duo of Junior Duran and Axel Agurcia forced a turnover on the Rangers’ end, Agurcia looped a pass into Jeanfreau would streaked in for a point-blank range tally. Duran and Agurcia would then net the next two goals, Duran completing the most jaw-dropping goal of the day with a left footed volley outside the box that curled in from the far side. Muenyi completed a brace after another assist from Bustamante, followed by back-to-back goals from the Colombian to mark a hat trick and make it 8-0 Bengals just 34 minutes into the game.
Cody Stevens would cash in his first goal right before half to push the LSUE lead to 9-0 at intermission.
After half, it was more of the same as the Bengal reserves continued to put pressure on Northwest Mississippi. Derick Bernard netted a brace while William Saar and Dominique Zapata both added goals. It was Zapata’s first for LSU Eunice this season. In total, nine different Bengals scored a goal in the runaway win.
The duo of Zachary Clary and Bronson Paus combined for the clean sheet, tallying up three saves on the afternoon. LSUE produced its nation’s best eighth shutout of the season.
Earlier in the afternoon, LSU Eunice moved up to number three in the NJCAA rankings. It is the highest the Bengals have ever been placed in their short program history.
LSU Eunice hits the road this weekend to face St. Louis Community College in a neutral site game in Memphis, Tennessee.
