Kabesa’s Hat Trick Lifts Eureka to 4-3 Win Over Franklin

EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka men's soccer team held off a late rally from Franklin on Saturday to secure a thrilling 4-3 win at McKinzie Field.

The match began with both teams testing each other defensively, as Jesus Canas (Miami, Fla./John A. Ferguson) testing the Frankin goalkeeper in the first minute, but Graham Klein was up to the task with an early save. The first half saw little offensive breakthrough, but in the 14th minute, Joyce Kabesa (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) found his way through on goal and tucked the ball into the back of the net, giving the Red Devils a 1-0 lead that would stand as the only goal of the opening half.

The second half was a different story. Eureka wasted no time increasing their lead, as Kabesa drew a penalty kick and converted from the penalty spot to increase the lead to 2-0 in the 57th minute. Just moments later, Landon Porch (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) set up Kabesa for another, extending the lead to 3-0. In the 76^th minute, Troy Arries (Cape Town, South Africa/Wyneberg) joined the scoring when he laced a shot off the crossbar and in for his first goal of the season, pushing Eureka's advantage to 4-0.

Franklin did not go down quietly, though. The Grizzlies fought back with a penalty kick goal from Russell Bilohlavek in the 78th minute, followed by Enzo Crivari's goal in the 80th minute, closing the gap to 4-2. The game became even more tense as Franklin's Lane Trump scored again in the 84th minute, making it 4-3. Despite the strong comeback effort, the Grizzlies couldn't find the equalizer, and Eureka held on to claim the victory.

Kabesa's performance marked his second hat trick in just three games and makes him the top scorer in the SLIAC with 6 goals on the season.

Up Next

Eureka continues its home stand when they host Grinnell on Sunday at 3 p.m.