Goshen, IN — With its defensive unit beginning to gel and create more chances on the offensive end of the field, the Goshen College men’s soccer team was simply too much for Trinity Christian College Wednesday night, taking its second shutout in as many games in a 4-0 win at the Goshen College Soccer Complex.

The Trolls, which entered the match with a 3-0-1 record, simply could not keep pace — or possession — with the Leafs’ talented backfield, giving head coach Tavi Mounsithiraj’s squad multiple looks at the net while thwarting off all Trinity attacks at the same time.

“I thought we did a good job tonight of maintaining possession and creating chances,” Mounsithiraj said. “Trinity Christian is a good team and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The key for our win tonight was our defensive team. They played very tough and gave our offense chances to score.”

That unit — comprised of senior James Graber, juniors Joel Miller, Jared Price and Adam Yoder and freshman Rusty Emery — held Trinity Christian to just four shots on goal and five corner kicks, including a key save by junior goalkeeper Craig Welscott just minutes before the first half came to an end.

Leading 1-0, Goshen (2-0-1, 0-0) could not stop a Trinity Christian forward from slicing through the defense for a good look at the goal. Welscott came up with an enormous sliding save on the ensuing shot, preserving the Leafs’ lead and, in Mounsithiraj’s opinion, the momentum for the game.

“I thought that was the turning point of the match,” Mounsithiraj said. “Trinity had an opportunity to tie the match with a one on one chance (at the goal) but Craig Welscott came up with a big save to keep the score one-nil. That helped us going into the second half.”

Goshen’s lead was generated by freshman David Shenk’s score at the 40th minute-mark, his first on the season after a highly successful start to his collegiate career. Shenk took a beautiful pass from junior Eric Bixler and headed the ball toward the goal from the outside corner of the 18-yard box, the ball ricocheting off a Troll defender’s head before settling into the net for a 1-0 Leafs lead.

“Just like that we were up one-nil,” Mounsithiraj said. “And how do you do, David Shenk! Oh, the goal he craved.”

Following Welscott’s tide-turning save, Mounsithiraj’s squad turned it up a notch in the second period, keeping the ball on its side of the field for the majority of the half and giving Trinity Christian almost no rest defensively. Just six minutes into the period junior forward Ashe Abebe was Johnny On The Spot, picking up a loose ball in front of the Trolls’ net and placing a shot into the lower corner for a 2-0 lead. Twenty minutes later it was Shenk causing havoc in the middle of the field again, this time weaving through a maze of Troll defenders before dropping the ball off to sophomore Tony Janzen. Taking a cue from Shenk, Janzen continued the dribbling exhibition, taking the ball right past the Trinity keeper for an uncontested look at the goal. His dump in made it 3-0, and the student-body crowd grew to a fever pitch.

Mounsithiraj’s squad continued to accommodate, now pushing up its defensive lines with a comfortable three-goal advantage. With just over 10 minutes remaining, Graber got into the offensive action, putting a brilliant cross-field pass to the feet of junior Reuben Yoder for a five-yard token blast to finish the Leafs’ scoring for the night. Like Shenk, it was Yoder’s first score of the young season.

“This was a good win for us in a lot of ways,” Mounsithiraj said. “I was pleased with David Shenk’s play, but tonight really was a total team effort. We have been working very hard over the past few weeks, and the whole team did a great job tonight. We now have just one day to prepare for Bethel. We’ll do our best to get ready.”

Goshen will host the long-traveled Threshers of Bethel College (North Newton, Kan.) Friday night, as Bethel will visit both Goshen and Bluffton University before returning to its home state. Match time is set for 8 p.m. at the Goshen College Soccer Complex.