Heartland Hawks Men's Soccer Off to Best Start in Program History
Darren Kavanagh scores lone goal in the match, serving John Wood Community College their first loss of the season
 

QUINCY, Illinois - September 24, 2018 - The Hawks see their record improve to 6-2-0 on the season with a win at John Wood Community College, the best start the program has ever seen. 

John Wood's season has been everything they could have hoped in the revamping of their soccer program, having a team for the first time since 1995. The Blazers were undefeated going into the match with a 7-0-0 record, lead by Quincy native and high school standout Blake Herman, who has seven goals and five assists in his sophomore year. That didn't stop the Hawks from bringing their A-game on the road.

Because of a rained out match last week, the Hawks had a little extra time to prepare for the conference matchup against the Blazers, playing conference heavyweight Lewis & Clark Community College in the meantime. It was that preparation that helped get ready to take on the undefeated Blazers on their home turf. The match saw both sides battling for all 90 minutes, with countless scoring opportunities and huge saves by the Hawks' Joshua Bonaiti and John Wood's Eric Lubbert. It was apparent early in the match that scoring on Lubbert, who was goalkeeper for Quincy High School in their state runner-up season in 2015, would be a task. Heartland was up for that task, as Carson Oltman fed Darren Kavanagh a beautiful centering pass in the 41st minute to put the ball in the back of the net, giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead going into halftime. 

Kavanagh's goal was the lone goal scored in the match, leading the Hawks to a 1-0 triumph over John Wood. Heartland's win gives John Wood their first loss of the season, and are now 0-1 in Mid-West Athletic Conference (MWAC) play. 

The Hawks return home on Wednesday, September 26, 2018 as they play host to Southwestern Illinois College at 4:00 PM (CST) at the Corn Crib.

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