Brighton, Mich. – The Aquinas men's soccer team was back on the road Wednesday night (Oct. 2) to take on the (6-4) Cleary Cougars in an important conference fixture. Aquinas entered this game against Cleary on a two-game winning streak after picking up strong wins against Siena Heights and Defiance. The AQ offense continued rolling in this match, applying pressure early and earning a pair of first-half goals. Those goals would prove to be the difference in the match as AQ marched on to a 2-0 victory.

AQ improved to 7-3 with a 3-2 conference record after the result tonight. The win also puts Aquinas on a three-game winning streak.

Aquinas 2, Cleary 0

The Saints applied pressure early in the game with Mason Sills and Trae Collins putting shots on target. Cleary struggled to slow down the AQ attack and, after a series of fouls, the Cougars fouled AQ once again but this time in the box. The foul put Ricardo Rittersberger on the spot for the penalty kick and he calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net for the lead in the 18th minute.

AQ continued to control possession following Ritterberger's goal as Cleary had no answer for the Saint's defense. Cleary still had not managed a single shot through 30 minutes. In the 34th minute, Aquinas was awarded a free kick deep inside Cleary's half following a Cougar yellow card. Fikret Hasovic took the free kick and found Josh Freeman-Wright at the far post who headed it home for a 2-0 lead.

Aquinas's swarming defense continued to throttle Cleary as the Cougars finally managed their first shot of the game in the 42nd minute, but the shot was blocked. The two sides went into the locker rooms with AQ holding a 2-0 lead and Cleary yet to place a shot on target.

Heading into the second half, the hosts finally got some offense going, forcing Peyton Huffman to make a save in the 53rd minute. The second half was a bit more even with both defenses playing tight football. Freeman-Wright nearly broke the silence once again in the 78th minute with another header, but Cleary found the save to maintain the two-goal lead.

Jasper Schinkel put a couple more shots on goal at the end of the game, but the score remained the same by the final whistle. Aquinas walked off the pitch with its third consecutive shutout win.

By the Numbers

• The Saints continue to find success against Cleary as they have won the last six contests between the two sides dating back to 2019.
• Rittersberger now has eight goals this season and has scored four goals in the past three games.
• Hasovic earned his first assist of the season and Freeman-Wright scored his second goal of 2024.
• Huffman now has three consecutive shutout victories after continued strong play from the Aquinas defense.
• AQ outshot Cleary 18-6 and put nine shots on target to CU's one.

Up Next

Aquinas returns home on Saturday (Oct. 5) for a tough test against #RV UNOH. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on the AQ Athletic Field.