Allen Community College’s men’s soccer team opened the 2021 season on the right foot over the weekend.
The Red Devils traveled to suburban Minneapolis, Minn., for a pair of matches, winning both.
Allen trailed early in the second half before storming back to defeat Anoka-Ramsey Community College, 4-2, on Friday.
There was no such drama in Sunday’s match against Dakota Technical College.
Allen scored in the game’s second minute and never looked back in a 10-2 whitewash.
The matches are part of a busy start to the season, with four games in eight days.
Friday’s opener saw Allen fighting a brutal head wind in the first half.
Anoka-Ramsey scored in the 15th minute before Allen’s Jordan Mase knocked home a cross from Hingis Moremi for the equalizer.
The trend shifted after intermission. Allen had several scoring opportunities, but came up dry as Anoka-Ramsey scored on a counter-attack 10 minutes into the half to lead, 2-1.
The deficit didn’t last long.
Ben Mnquathu cashed on on Tiago Troyano’s assist to even the score at 2-2.
Mase scored in the 70th minute to give ACC the lead for good, assisted by Dara Olukayode. Mase then completed the hat trick after Troyano set him up for his third goal in the 75th minute.
While Allen had other opportunities to pad its lead, those shots came up empty.
Little matter with Allen’s James Hobson in goal. Hobson recorded the win with five saves.
SUNDAY’S action was furious from the start.
Mnquathu took a feed from Cillian Gilligan to push Allen on top less than 120 seconds into the match.
Moremi’s corner kick three minutes later found the back of the net after it deflected off one of the Dakota defenders.
Mase continued his torrid start with a goal from Troyano at the 10-minute mark.
Dakota took advantage of an Allen mistake to close the gap to 3-1, but Dara Olukayode’s cross bounced off a Dakota player, where Mnquathu poked in the header for the Red Devils’ fourth goal.
Head coach Doug Desmarteau said another lapse in Allen’s collective concentration allowed Dakota to stay within shouting distance at 4-2.
But Moremi ended any drama, by blasting in a free kick from about 40 yards out to make it 5-2.
Moremi’s assist led to another Mase goal to cap the electric first half, pushing the lead to 6-2.
The second half was much the same, minus Allen’s defensive lapses.
Brooklyn Vodo pushed ACC up, 7-2, before Guilliano Moerman scored from outside the box, with an assist from Temesgn Tezera. Moerman then set up Romario Tomlinson for goal number 9.
Vodo’s cross led to Andre Ireland’s goal for the 10th and final tally of the day.
Hobson and Oscar Briggs both played goal, each recording a pair of saves.
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