The Butler men’s soccer team broke a four-game losing streak with a non-conference victory over Evansville Saturday at Arad McCutchan Stadium.
The 1-0 victory over the Purple Aces (5-7-1) also broke a scoreless streak for the Bulldogs (6-6-2, 1-2-1) that lasted for more than 400 minutes.
Sophomore forward Austin Oldham fired the ball past Evansville freshman goalkeeper Eric Teppen in the 36th minute.
The goal was Oldham’s team-leading sixth and his second game-winning goal of the season.
Junior defenseman Jordan Burt picked up the assist on the play after feeding Oldham the ball across the pitch.
“It was a total team effort,” coach Paul Snape said of the scoring play.
The start of the match was consistent with the past three weeks for the Bulldogs, with the Purple Aces out-shooting them 8-4.
The turning point of the match was Oldham’s goal, which seemed to ignite Butler on both sides of the ball.
“We had four or five opportunities to put more in the back of the net,” Snape said.
In the second half, the Bulldogs out-shot the Purple Aces 8-2 and held them to a single shot on goal.
Overall, the Bulldogs out-shot Evansville 13-11 and held an 8-6 advantage in shots on goal.
Burt led a strong offensive attack for the Bulldogs with three shots on goal. Oldham added two shots on goal.
Justin Sass, a junior defenseman who transferred from Evansville to Butler prior to the start of the season, turned in a strong performance against his old team with two shots on goal.
Butler sophomore goalkeeper Jon Dawson quietly turned in a solid effort, recording six saves en route to the third shutout of his career.
The Bulldogs will take on Horizon League opponent Cleveland State tonight at the Butler Bowl at 7 p.m.
The match will be the biggest of Butler’s season thus far, with the Bulldogs looking to get in the conference tournament picture.
Six teams qualify for the Horizon League Tournament at the end of the regular season. Butler is currently in seventh place, holding a similar record as Illinois-Chicago in league play.
The Vikings (6-8-1, 3-2-1) currently hold third place in the league.