GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – After a quiet, evenly-played first half, the Green Bay (3-2-0) men’s soccer team scored two goals in the opening two minutes of the second half to beat UNLV (2-3-0) 2-1 in the first round of the Green Bay Soccer Classic.

 

“We talk about the key moments of the game, one of them being the first five minutes of the half, so to start like we did in the second half is tremendous,” said head coach Tom Poitras.

 

Thirty-three seconds into the second half, Tony Walls (Wauwatosa, Wis.) found JC Banks (Milwaukee, Wis.) on the right side of the field on a fast break. Banks led Sam Krenzien (Wauwatosa, Wis.) with a great pass, who then laid the ball in the corner of the net for the 1-0 lead.

 

The goal was Krenzien’s second in as many games, “I’m feeling confident right now. My teammates are doing a really good job of getting me in positions where I can make plays,” said Krenzien.

 

Two minutes after the Phoenix went up 1-0; Banks was fouled in the box forcing a penalty kick situation. Walls took the kick and laid the ball in the right corner of the net, scoring his second goal off a PK this season, giving Green Bay the 2-0 advantage.

 

“I just step up and take it (penalty kick) with confidence, I make them in practice so I’m confident in game situations,” said Walls.

 

Less than three minutes after Green Bay’s PK, UNLV had its chance with a penalty kick, but Ryan Wehking (St. Louis, Mo.) made a great dive to his left, tipping the ball away from the net for the save.

 

“We tell our keepers that if they can make two great saves in a game they’re going to win us a game, and that’s what happened tonight,” Poitras said.

 

At the 63:45 mark, Green Bay’s defense was working hard to get in position when the ball deflected off Mackenzie Lund (Hudson, Wis.) for the own goal, putting UNLV on the board.


Green Bay outshot the Rebels 17-16 as both teams had three corner kicks. Banks led Green Bay with seven shots while Wehking had nine saves in the win.

 

Sunday the Phoenix will face Western Michigan (4-2-0) in the final game of the Green Bay Soccer Classic at 2:30 p.m. at Aldo Santaga Stadium. The Broncos were shut out by Robert Morris (1-4-0) 2-0, in the first game of the invitational.