Palos Heights, Ill. – The Saints returned to the win column tonight (Sept. 4) with a 1-0 result over the Trinity Christian Trolls. This was the second consecutive 1-0 result for the Saints to start the season. AQ now improves to 2-0 on the season while Trinity Christian suffered its first defeat of the year after winning its first four games.
Aquinas 1, Trinity Christian 0
Both teams played strong defense to begin the contest with neither side able to attempt a shot for the first 10 minutes of the game. The Trinity Christian Trolls managed to string together a few chances over the ensuing 10 minutes but failed to put any on target.
The first save of the game was made by
Ivan Radovic in the 23rd minute and he was quickly called to action once again just a couple minutes later. The Saints followed suit with a few shots on target of their own, but they were all turned away by the Trinity Christian goalkeeper.
Coming out of the 15-minute half, the defensive stalemate continued to begin the half. Neither side was able to generate many opportunities until
Fikret Hasovic managed to break through. The sophomore scored an unassisted goal in the 64th minute to break the tie and give AQ the lead. The goal was Hasovic's third career goal after scoring two as a freshman in 2023.
The Trolls nearly scored an equalizer just a minute later, putting the shot off the crossbar. Trinity Christian kept the offensive pressure going, but a couple more Radovic saves and several blocked shots from a strong Aquinas defense put the Trolls scoreless. AQ managed to hold onto the lead until the final whistle, securing the 1-0 result.
By the Numbers
- The Saints have now held the competition scoreless for the first 180 minutes of the 2024 season.
- AQ was outshot 17-9, but placed one more shot on target than Trinity Christian (5-4). The Trolls also managed five corners to Aquinas' two.
- A total of seven yellow cards were issued across the two teams.
- The defensive battle between Aquinas and Trinity Christian dates back to last season when the teams drew a 0-0 game on the AQ Athletic Field.
- Radovic is now 5-0 all-time in his career.
Up Next
The Saints will play their first home game of the season on Saturday (Sept. 7 ) at 4:00 PM. AQ's home opener against Taylor University is the Dawg Pound Game of the Week and will be Hawaiian Night.