Box Score NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Sophomore forward Joseph Thongsythavong (Salem, Mass.) scored a career-high four goals, while senior Matt Bento (Ridgefield, Conn.) notched a goal and an assist to lead the Norwich University men's soccer team to a 10-0 rout of NVU Johnson on Wednesday night on Sabine Field at Haynes Family Stadium.
Norwich (2-0) scored the most goals in a game since a 12-0 win over Green Mountain College on Sept. 5, 2015.
Wednesday's win also marked the 50th of head coach Adam Pfeifer's career at Norwich. Pfeifer has compiled a 50-15-14 record (.722 winning percentage) in his five seasons at the helm of the program. Pfeifer also moved into sole possession of third place on the all-time Norwich men's soccer coaching wins list. He passed Lefty Lyford, who coached the team for eight seasons from 1963-1970. Pfeifer only trails current Tufts University head coach Kyle Dezotell (130) and Bob Friske (88) on the NU all-time wins list.
The Cadets took the lead a NVU Johnson own goal at the 8:23 mark of the first half and it was all Norwich from there as it outshot the Badgers 41-1 in the game. Thongsythavong sent a crossing pass over from the right side that a NVU Johnson player tried to clear away but he inadvertently sent it into the back of his own net for the own goal.
Norwich scored again in the 12th minute with Bento scoring unassisted after taking on a trio of Badger defenders and then lacing a ball into the corner of the net for his seventh career goal to make it 2-0 Cadets.
NU failed to score again in the first half and went into the halftime break with a 2-0 lead and a 23-0 shots advantage.
The Cadets opened the second half scoring just 22 seconds into the new frame with Thongsythavong scoring his first of the game and third of the season with a low shot far post from the right side of the box.
He scored again on a rebound in the 48th minute after Bento's initial shot was saved but Thongsythavong was first to the rebound to bury the ball into the back of the net and push the lead to 4-0.
Bienfait Badibanga (Burlington, Vt.) got in on the scoring in the 52nd minute with his second goal of the season. Zach Schult (Elmwood Park, N.J.) scored his first collegiate goal after making a run and receiving a perfect throughball pass to run in on goal and bury a shot into the cage after evading the goalkeeper to make it 6-0 Cadets.
Norwich added back-to-back penalty kick goals in the 67th and 69th minutes from Amerle Nemeye (Burlington, Vt.) and Alex Brannan (Oneonta, N.Y.).
Thongsythavong scored two more times to cap the scoring in the 74th minute and the 87th minute to make it 10-0 Norwich. Nemeye picked up the assist on the final goal with a corner kick service that Thongsythavong headed into the back of the net for his 17th career goal in the Maroon & Gold.
Junior Ben Wasco (Arlington, Mass.) was untested to record his first collegiate shutout and second win of the season.
Wednesday night's game closed out the 2020-21 season for the Cadets. They outscored their two in-state opponents 14-1 in their two games. NU will return to action in the fall and look to chase its first GNAC title since 2008.
