PDL Game Report
Saturday, June 21, 2014
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – The Kum & Go Kup belongs to the Des Moines Menace.
A convincing 4-0 victory against the Springfield Demize on Saturday night at Valley Stadium sealed the trophy for this annual rivalry prize. Immediately after the game, the Menace players rushed to the near sideline to receive the cup from Menace owner and Kum & Go President and CEO Kyle Krause.
Nico Wright and Mueng Sunday led the Menace (5-1-0) in this second and final leg of the season series. Wright scored a goal and assisted two more, and Sunday tallied his first two PDL goals, as Des Moines cruised past a 10-man Springfield (2-4-3).
“This game was important to us,” Sunday said. “We knew we were playing for the cup tonight in front of the home fans. As a player, that’s what you want, to lift the cup with your teammates.”
Menace points leader Ralphie Lundy (eight) opened the scoring in the 42nd minute, five minutes after Springfield captain Andrew Turner was ejected for a clattering slide tackle on Lundy. With a cross, Wright set up Lundy’s score, and he doubled the lead in the 57th minute, when he sent a screamer into the roof of the goal. Springfield goalkeeper Yuma Nomura could do nothing except stand and watch as it blasted the net right behind his head.
Wright was not done. Ten minutes later, he assisted Sunday’s first score. Wright headed the ball across the box to Sunday, who controlled it with a couple touches before volleying a strike through traffic.
“It felt great,” Sunday said of the goal. “Nico could’ve easily taken the shot, but he gave it to me.”
Sunday closed the scoring in the 80th minute as he drove in a shot from 25 yards out, off Nomura’s fingertips.
The Menace repeatedly pelted Nomura, who rose to the occasion with seven saves. Des Moines piled on a 25-4 shot advantage.
In the teams’ first meeting, the Menace opened the season with a 2-0 win in Missouri on May 17.
Des Moines shares the Heartland Division lead with Thunder Bay (5-3-0), which comes to town next weekend for a Saturday-Sunday double dip. The Menace first travels to Wheaton, Ill., for a Tuesday-night clash with the Chicago Inferno.
“We knew we had business to take care of tonight,” Sunday said. “We’re trying to get sharper now, and get sharper with every game.”
MAN of the MATCH: Nico Wright, for the third time this season. Wright, a Jamaican who attends Fairleigh Dickinson (N.J.), is second on the team with seven points in PDL play (tied with Chris Hellmann and one behind Ralphie Lundy). A year ago, he led the Menace with three goals.