Union Dutchmen secured a comprehensive 7-1 victory over Alaska Nanooks in their NCAA clash on Saturday evening. The result shifted the momentum in the conference standings, with the home side proving too strong for the visitors who had arrived in sixth place. by then the Dutchmen had already established control, and the final scoreline reflected that dominance.
The Nanooks were second in the table with 28 games played, 16 victories and 10 draws to their name. Union sat sixth after 30 matches, with 13 wins and 15 draws. and here's the thing — the gap between them on paper meant little once the game began.
Union's recent form had been uneven. They had beaten Army Black Knights 4-2 on 3 October, but lost consecutive matches against Princeton Tigers. Before that came a 9-0 demolition of Brown Bears and a 3-0 win over the same opposition. to be fair the home side needed this result badly.
Alaska came into the fixture off a 3-2 victory against Boston College Eagles on Friday. However, their previous three matches showed vulnerability — defeats to Boston University Terriers and losses to Lindenwood and Stonehill. by then the visitors were already looking fragile.
I had called for a home win with 64 per cent confidence before kickoff. and here's the thing — it was right. The Dutchmen's structure held firm, and the Nanooks could not find a way back into the contest. The scoreline told the full story.
The result leaves Union six points clear of the teams below them, while Alaska drops to third place. to be fair the margin of victory was the real story here — seven unanswered goals at home is not something visitors recover from.
