Denver 5-0 Northwestern (Perez 12’, 17’, Akamatsu 56’, Shinyashiki 58’, 70) | Photos| Donate

Denver 5-0 Northwestern (Perez 12’, 17’, Akamatsu 56’, Shinyashiki 58’, 70) | Photos| Donate

Denver 5-0 Northwestern (Perez 12’, 17’, Akamatsu 56’, Shinyashiki 58’, 70) | Photos| Donate

Denver 5-0 Northwestern (Perez 12’, 17’, Akamatsu 56’, Shinyashiki 58’, 70) | Photos| Donate

 

 

 

 

Denver 5-0 Northwestern (Perez 12’, 17’, Akamatsu 56’, Shinyashiki 58’, 70)

DENVER – Senior transfer Moshe Perez (Shim’a, Israel) netted a first-half brace and senior striker Andre Shinyashiki (Sao Paulo, Brazil) added a second half brace to lead the Denver men’s soccer team past Northwestern 5-0 on Saturday evening in the Pioneers’ College Soccer Saturday match at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium.

Shinyashiki finished with two goals and two assists on the night for a six-point evening and Perez finished with two goals and a helper. Redshirt-sophomore Dylan Keeney (Littleton, Colo.) added two assists to the scoresheet.

“I think we know we’re going to be talented in the attack this fall, but we’re looking to form an identity,” head coach Jamie Franks said. “That pro-activeness that has made us special in the past, we’ve missed the last week or so. When we don’t try to be the best version of ourselves every day, we’re not that good. We’re a collective team that needs each other, and this week we made large strides looking at ourselves and being honest with ourselves. When you go back and look at the spring as a whole, it was great to score a lot of goals, but we’re focused on looking at our identity and our culture, because we know that’s what it’s going to take to win championships.”

Perez scored his third goal of the spring in the 12^th minute off assists from Keeney and Shinyashiki. Denver played a ball over the top of the back four that Keeney won the race to. Keeney played the ball back across to the top of the box to Shinyashiki, who took a couple touches to his right before slipping in Perez just outside the six. Perez chipped it over Northwestern starting keeper Miha Miskovic for the breakthrough.

The Colorado Mesa transfer netted his second inside the opening 17 minutes, making a 25-yard run with the ball at his feet before beating Miskovic to his right from just outside the penalty area. Perez finished his spring with two multi-goal games (scored twice at Creighton).

Senior winger Kenny Akamatsu (Niigata, Japan) made it 3-0 in the 56^th-minute, tapping home a rebound off a Shinyashiki shot from inside the six-yard box. Keeney began the scoring chance down the right flank, playing a cross to the run of Shinyashiki, whose shot was kept out by Miskovic. Akamatsu was first to the bouncing ball in the box and knocked in his third goal of the spring.

Following two assists on the Pioneers first three goals, Shinyashiki netted his third of the spring in the 58^th minute, finishing off a cross from Perez from the right wing. The senior striker got his second goal of the night and fourth of the spring with a run behind the Northwestern backline off a ball over the top from Alex Kaddah (Blue Springs, Mo.).