Storm make Isaacson a winner in debut

LINCOLN, Neb. - Mark Lahart and Mitchell White scored two goals apiece and the Simpson men's soccer team beat Nebraska Wesleyan 4-0 Thursday night, giving head coach Rick Isaacson a win in his first game on the sidelines.

An all-conference goalkeeper in his playing days at Luther, Isaacson got a boost from White, one of his first recruits. White played for Isaacson's youth team in Decorah almost 10 years ago.

"I coached him when he was about eight or nine years old," Isaacson said. "When he expressed an interest in coming to Simpson, I said we'd love to have him. We are getting to a point where we rely on him in the attack."

The Storm (1-0) made the most of their opportunities against the Prairie Wolves (0-1), putting 8 of 14 shots on goal.

"We were smart, we were disciplined and we executed the game plan," Isaacson said. "We allowed them to have most of the possessions but when we got our opportunities, we capitalized."

Nebraska Wesleyan took 20 shots, but couldn't find the back of the net against sophomore keeper Luke Aronow.

"Luke came up big on a save in the first half to keep the score 1-0," Isaacson said. "He was composed and a calming presence in the back. He kept the defense organized to make
his job easier."

Aronow made eight saves on the night.

A junior, Lahart opened the scoring with a goal in the 13th minute. The score remained 1-0 until five minutes into the second half when Lahart scored off a set piece.

"Tonight's box score is a good example of the makeup of our team," Isaacson said. "We have a nice balance of leadership and infusion of youth."

Both of White's goal's came in the second half. The first was a header in the 59th minute and the second came off an assist from Pat Alt in the 76th minute.

"This is a great thing for our confidence," Isaacson said. "We wanted to start 1-0 and
start on the right foot, and we did. It was nice to get our first win, now we can move forward."

Simpson opens the home schedule Saturday when it takes on Elmhurst at Noon. Due to the resurfacing of the track at Buxton Stadium, the game will take place at Indianola Middle School.