CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Parkland men's soccer freshman striker Yu Sasaki scored two second-half goals on Tuesday afternoon, as the Cobras won, 3-2, against M-WAC rival Illinois Central. Setting up the second goal was sophomore Zach Gowlett's NJCAA-leading 10^th assist of the season. Improving to 6-1-1 overall, the Cobras remain a perfect 3-0 in conference.

Box Score

"I think we were good for about 70 minutes," said head coach Mark Sikora. "We're young, and we lose our heads every now and again. Going up against a team like Illinois Central, if you let your level drop they'll make you pay. That's what we did twice, and probably should have again a few times at the end there. We did enough to win, but we should have seen that game out over the last 10 to 15 minutes."

Scoring twice in a 10-minute span, Sasaki netted his eighth and ninth goal of the season to lead the team. The Aomori, Japan native also leads the team with 25 points, which is tied for 11^th in NJCAA Division I. Gowlett's 10^th assist on the season continues to lead Division I, while his 16 total points rank third on the team.

"I generally believe that you put players in a position where they can be the most effective to their skill set," explained Sikora. "Zach on the wing, you see how good he can be and how much of a difference maker he can be. That's such a safety valve for us; he can go one-on-one on the wing, eat up space, get the pressure off us and has figured out how to measure his passes. Now, the other guys know that if they can get into the right spots, Zach will get them the ball."

A physical match between the two teams receiving votes in the latest NJCAA Division I poll, the opening 20 minutes saw a handful of yellow cards handed out between the Cobras and Cougars with neither team putting a shot on frame.

After fighting off Illinois Central's first shot on goal in the 21^st minute, Parkland found the net on its first shot on goal of the day. Scoring his eighth goal of the season, which led the team until Sasaki's two goals in the second half, freshman Naoto Uede connected on a long strike from the right side to give the Cobras a 1-0 lead.

The match remained a 1-0 advantage in favor of Parkland until the 60^th minute of the match, when sophomore Ethan Norton found Sasaki in the box to double the Cobra lead. However, the 2-0 lead was short lived, as the Cougars scored off a corner kick on its ensuing possession.

Illinois Central again put pressure on Parkland's back line with 20 minutes remaining in the match. After sophomore goalie Lorenzo Giaretti corralled the ball and rolled it out to Gowlett on the wing, the sophomore left wing raced down the left side, into the box and found a streaking Sasaki on the right side who netted the game-winner.

The Cougars threatened multiple times in the final 10 minutes, scoring in the 83^rd minute to draw within one, but couldn't find the equalizer on multiple shots on goal in the closing seconds.   

Up next, the Cobras head back on the road for a matchup against Jefferson on Saturday, September 22, at 12 p.m. central time.