Gautreaux Breaks Record Despite 1-0 Loss

10/27/2017 10:55:00 AM

By: LC Sports Information - Todd Ryals

Box Score

Game one of the final home series for the Louisiana College men's soccer team kicked off Thursday night against the visiting Eagles of the Univ. of the Ozarks in an American Southwest Conference meeting. A questionable offside decision in the 73rd minute allowed Johnson Cijulus to get behind the Cats defense and calmly finish ball past the keeper for the games only goal.

The game was evenly played, with each side going up and down the field. An early defensive stand from the Cats set the tone for the rest of the game until the second half goal. Floating along the back line of the Cats, Cijulus was played through and figuring that he was off the Cats stopped playing but he was ruled onside by the official and scored the game winner. Shouts and cries for an overturned decision to reset the game fell on deaf ears leaving the Cats down by one in the final 15 minutes.

A final push from both sides tested each defense but enough was done to prevent another score on the night. The Cats outshot the Eagles 11 to nine but none were better than Eagles' keeper Logan Valestin, keeping a clean sheet. Valestin finished with five saves to Nathan Gautreaux's six.

Those six saves were special for Gautreaux, entering the game two saves away from breaking Brian Sarber's ASC career saves record. At the end of the game, Gautreaux was the new holder with 378. The record stood untouched for nine years and Gautreaux did it in 57 games, 21 games fewer than Sarber. Gautreaux is also close to breaking the saves per game record of 5.94, currently at with a 6.6 save per game average with one contest remaining.

The Cats (1-14, 1-9) face ASC foe, the Univ. of Texas at Tyler Patriots Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. for senior day and their last game of the season. The Wildcats will recognize four senior players prior to the game, Charles Firmin, Nathan Gautreaux, Todd Ryals, and Victor Villavieja. For more on the LC Men's Soccer Team following them on Facebook under Louisiana College Men's Soccer, Instagram and twitter at LC_MSOC.

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