RIVER FALLS, Wis. – The UW-River Falls men's soccer team delivered a commanding 3-0 victory over Lawrence University on Thursday evening. The Falcons showcased an explosive offensive performance, led by first-half goals from
Ben Harris and
Josh Villanueva, followed by a second-half strike from
Mateo Gonzalez, to secure their second consecutive home win of the 2025 season.
The Falcons set the tone early, unleashing 17 shots in the first half.
Ben Harris opened the scoring in the 14
thminute, netting his first goal of the season to give UWRF a 1-0 lead. Just over two minutes later,
Josh Villanueva doubled the advantage, converting a pass from
Grant Kropp for his first career goal in the 16
th minute.
Despite Lawrence generating four corner kicks in the first half, the Falcon defense, anchored by goalkeeper
Josh Bates, stood firm, preventing any shots on goal. Bates and the backline maintained a clean sheet through the 73
rd minute before
TJ Whisenhunt took over in the net, making one save to preserve the shutout.
In the second half, UWRF continued to press, adding a third goal in the 68
th minute when
Mateo Gonzalez scored his first of the season, sealing the 3-0 victory. The Falcons finished with 25 total shots, nine on target, compared to Lawrence's three shots, with only one on target.
Sorel Richardson led the attack with five shots, while Harris,
Grant Kropp, and
Daniel Pirillo each contributed multiple shots.
The victory improves UW-River Falls to 2-1-0 on the season, while Lawrence falls to 0-1-2.
UWRF will face Concordia College at home on Sept. 7 at Ramer Field.
