Goshen, IN — The sight of Siena Heights University dominating possession of the ball when it was in play and its goalkeeper holding it for two-minute long stretches when it was not may have worried some at the Goshen College Soccer Complex Tuesday night.

Goshen head coach Tavi Mounsithiraj was not one of them.

Despite an early push from the visiting Saints and a rarely seen strategy of holding the ball at various points in the first half, the Goshen College men’s soccer team took over the game of attrition late, garnering its first win of the young season by a 3-0 score. A beautiful passing combination up front and two penalty kicks provided more than enough offense for the Leafs, perhaps overshadowing a gutsy defensive performance that yielded the team’s first shut out of the season.

“I think we played just well enough to win tonight and we have so much work ahead of us,” Mounsithiraj said following the win. “Siena Heights is a good club and they are well-coached. The match was much closer than what the score showed. They are very strong and fast up front, and they kept the pressure on us the whole day. They had as many chances to score goals as we did but were just unlucky.”

Siena Heights began the game with far more offensive opportunities than Goshen (1-0-1, 0-0), as the Saints started the match with a flurry that kept the ball on Goshen’s half of the field for the first 10 minutes. The Leafs’ defense — anchored by senior James Graber and juniors Joel Miller, Adam Yoder and Jared Price — played well enough to thwart any early scoring chances, but the possession-winner was clear: Siena Heights finished the game with nine corner kicks to Goshen’s four, most coming early on in the match.

“I thought we started the match a little bit tentative, maybe because Siena Heights is so strong and fast up front,” Mounsithiraj said. “Early on we were just hanging on trying not to give up any goals. I kept telling the guys to relax and try to hold possession a little longer. As time went by, we got into more of a rhythm and started to attack.”

When the Leafs did finally get their first shot on goal, however, Siena Heights went to a different tactic: Senior goalkeeper Garrett Broom corralled sophomore Tony Janzen’s first shot and then held the ball.

For almost two minutes.

With the student-body crowd verbally encouraging Siena Heights to play the game, Mounsithiraj elected to finally send Janzen toward the keeper to instigate the action. The Saints were able to pull off the stunt once again at the conclusion of the first half, but at that point they trailed by a 1-0 score courtesy of some tremendous Leaf passing up front.

In the 32nd minute, Janzen received a beautiful cross from Graber on the right side of the goal box. As the keeper turned his attention toward Janzen in an effort to defend, Janzen slipped the ball to the left side of the box where junior forward Ashe Abebe was waiting. Abebe calmly touched the ball into a virtually open net, giving the Leafs a 1-0 lead.

Goshen continued its possession dominance at the outset of the second period, as a pair of Saints fouls inside the box led to two successful penalty kicks for the Leafs. With nearly 20 minutes elapsed in the half, sophomore Matt Yoder sent a nifty through ball to a streaking Janzen. As Janzen dribbled toward Broom for a one on one opportunity, he was tripped up by Broom just before he could get a shot off. The head official called the foul, and freshman Raad Qumsieh buried the resulting PK for a 2-0 lead.

Just 10 minutes later it was Qumsieh at it again, this time being fouled in the box after converting an amazing individual move. After receiving a throw in and defenders charging at him, Qumsieh flipped the ball over his head with the outside of his foot in the direction of the Saitns’ goal, leaving two defenders in his wake. As he dribbled uncontested toward the box, he was taken down from behind, resulting in another penalty kick. Mounsithiraj selected Janzen to do the honors this time around — a deserving recipient after logging more miles on the field than any other Leaf this season. Janzen calmly touched the ball into the net for a 3-0 advantage.

Just moments following the second penalty kick, Mounsithiraj emptied his bench, giving all 24 dressed players legitimate game action. As the regulars came off the field to raucous ovations, it was apparent that the Palestinian-transfer Qumsieh had slowly become the student-body fan favorite. His incredible ball handling skills have sent shockwaves of excitement into the stands at the Goshen College Soccer Complex in just two games, including the Leafs’ very own coaching box.

“When Raad took that throw in and in one motion flipped the ball over his head and a defender’s, I turned to my assistants and said, “No he didn’t!” Mounsithiraj said. “I could not believe he pulled that move and got away with it.”

The celebratory atmosphere on the field did not deter the Leafs’ reserves from finishing off the evening in strong fashion, as the squad preserved the shutout despite late offensive pushes from Siena Heights.

“We did a good job of keeping off Siena Heights’ attack in the back and getting our first shut out of the season,” Mounsithiraj said. “It was nice to be able to play all of our players, especially seeing as how some of our guys can use some rest.”

Goshen will finally have a brief hiatus before its next match, as the team will be idle until next Wednesday, Sept. 7 when Trinity Christian College will visit campus. Game time for that match is set for 7 p.m.