WAUKESHA, Wis. - Tyler Coenen came alive at crunch time.
Coenen, a 5-foot-9 senior forward from Little Chute, Wis., scored two second-half goals to provide a critical spark as the Carroll University men's soccer team defeated the University of Wisconsin-Platteville 4-1 in a spirited nonconference game at Schneider Stadium on Wednesday.
The relentless, home-field victory took on added significance as it was a season-high single-game goal total and snapped a five-game winless streak for the Pioneers, who improved to 4-7-1 overall.
The game remained tied 1-1 at halftime but Carroll responded to the challenge by scoring three unanswered goals over the course of the final 45 minutes.
Coenen, one of seven seniors on the roster, scored what became the game-winner on an assist from senior midfielder Caden Pruitt (Ringwood, Ill.) in the 48th minute.
On the decisive shot at the 48:33 mark, Pruitt took possession, worked downfield on the left side and served a curving pass toward the middle.
Coenen, who managed to work behind the defense, immediately seized control of the ball in the open field and exploited a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper by finishing with a strong shot into the right corner.
"It was a fun, exciting battle so we just tried to dig down as a team and make the most of every possession," said Coenen, who returned to action two weeks ago after missing a significant stretch because of injury and currently has a team-high four goals. "With it being tied at halftime, we really worked hard at finding some space early in the second half and kept plugging away. That's when everything came together at the right time and we finished the job.
"On the goal, Caden did a great job of making the pass so I really didn't realize if anyone was around or not. As that happened, the goalkeeper stepped a little to the right and that's when I decided to go for a shot to the left. It really felt like my first home game after being out earlier in the season so it was nice to be back and contribute to the team's success tonight. "
Coenen's second goal came off another assist by Pruitt to extend the lead to 3-1 in the 86th minute for Carroll, which captured a victory despite being outshot 17-7.
Pruitt also contributed two goals for the tenacious Pioneers, scoring on an assist from freshman midfielder Matt Quint (Waukesha, Wis.) in the third minute and off an assist from freshman defender Peanut Taylor (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) in the 88th minute.
"It was a nice victory that should give us some momentum heading into the heart of the conference schedule,"
said Pruitt, who has collected three goals and a team-high four assists. "We've created a lot of opportunities but have really struggled to finish throughout the season. From that standpoint, it was a great feeling and refreshing to be able to finally come away with some key goals tonight.
"I just attempted to find the open spaces and anticipate where the ball was going to be. It was great to take a 2-1 lead in the second half and make the most of the situation. That's when our defense took hold and prevented them from coming back. We were missing two starters but everyone stepped up to the challenge and contributed to one of our best games of the season."
UW-Platteville attempted to come back during a crucial 23-minute stretch in the second half but came up short on several golden scoring opportunities.
Junior goalkeeper Jeremy Pasterz (Antioch, Ill.) made four key saves in going the distance for Carroll, highlighted by a critical diving block in the 53rd minute.
It was a tough, aggressive battle throughout the night with the two squads combining for five yellow cards.
Sophomore forward Logan Rinderknecht scored on an assist from junior forward/midfielder Lucas Aplin two minutes into the contest for UW-Platteville, which dropped to 8-5 overall.