The Wright State University men's soccer won against Green Bay in an offensive battle of a game. With this win, they surpassed their win total from the 2025 season.
On Sept. 12, Wright State Raiders hosted a Horizon League opponent in the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UGB) Phoenix on Alumni Field at Rinzler Student Sports Complex. This match is the 41st time these teams have competed in men’s soccer.
The Phoenix have an advantage in the all-time series, with a record of 22-16-2 before the Sept. 12 game in Dayton, according to Green Bay's website on the history between the two teams.
The Raiders came into the game 2-3-1 on the season. Their most recent prior game was a road win against the Milwaukee Panthers. UGB began the Horizon League conference play with a home win against the Northern Kentucky Norse.
In the first half of the game, both teams battled back and forth on each possession. The first half ended in a 1-1 tie. In the 17th minute, Wright State’s Gabe Gotting scored the first goal of the game off of an assist from Daniel Panait. This was Gotting’s first goal on the season. In the 36th minute, Green Bay’s Noah Radeke fought back and buried a solo score for the Phoenix. That would be his third goal for the season.
In the second half of the game, the Raiders grabbed the lead and ran with it. Cairo Duarte retook the lead for the Raiders with his second goal of the season in the 69th minute. This came off the assists from Djafar Al Badawi and Tedrick Neptune.
Shortly after, in the 70th minute, Max Banfi scored a goal with Al Badawi grabbing his second assist of the game. This was Banfi’s first time reaching net in this season. Goalkeeper Alex Normandeau notched five saves in this game while playing all 90 minutes.
Wright State student, Oren Harris, was interviewed about the game. He mentioned how fun the game was to watch.
"It was a battle on every possession. The offenses looked great out there," Harris said.
The Phoenix offense had 19 shots on goal and the Raiders had 13. The game ended in a 3-1 victory for the Raiders. Their record upgraded to 3-3-1 on the season. This surpassed their win total from last season, as the Raiders only had two wins.
WSU head coach, Alex Van der Sluijs, was asked the difference that led to this season being more successful when compared to last season. He pointed to a change in the team’s mentality.
“It’s a team full of guys that want to play for something bigger than themselves and they’re really gratefully for this opportunity,” Van der Sluijs said. “The message was to continue to be us and play for each other.”
Both teams will play their next games against Horizon League opponents on Sept. 19. The Raiders will try to extend their win streak with a road game against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. The Green Bay Phoenix’s will look to bounce back on the road against the Cleveland State Vikings.
