West Des Moines, IA – Great Plains Division rivals went head-to-head at Valley Stadium on Saturday night, with the Des Moines Menace (6-1-0) vying for a pivotal result over Peoria City (5-2-0).

The Menace withstood an initial surge of shots and set pieces for much of the opening half, headlined by keeper Enzo Carvalho (Florianopolis, Brazil), making impeccable stops in his return. Building a quality run in extra time, a sweeping cross from the near channel by Luke Husakiwsky (M | Davidson, NC) found Yoshi Okawa (M | Tokyo, Japan) in the center of the box. Following the reception, Okawa linked with Mere Escobar (F | Austin, TX) outside the far post and for the fourth consecutive fixture found the back of the net to give Des Moines momentum heading into half.

Riding an energetic wave, the Menace struck again thanks to a brilliant set piece. Taking an indirect free kick from 11 yards out in the 54th minute, an in-swinger by Cade Hagan (M | Chicago, IL) reached the near post. Timing his run to perfection, Etienne Ravelli (D | Lugano, Switzerland) slashed the ball off the side of his foot and past Peoria City to make the score 2-0. Minutes later, Des Moines would seal the match for good. A booming goal kick from Enzo Carvalho was retrieved by Dominick Bachstein (F | Malvern, PA) 30 yards outside of Peoria City’s goal. Bursting ahead and splitting past multiple defenders, Bachstein took command with a crafty, left-footed finish to tally his sixth goal on the season. The lone goal for Peoria City came on a penalty in the 64th minute from Luke Persenico.  

Menace Marks

Metronet Man of the Match: Etienne Ravelli (Lugano, Switzerland)

Goals: 48’ (Escobar), 54’ (Ravelli), 57’ (Bachstein)

Assists: 48’ (Okawa), 54’ (Hagan)

Bud & Mary’s Goals for Good Tracker: 20 = $8,400 donation to Easterseals Iowa

Did You Know?

• Menace have scored 3+ goals in four consecutive matches
• Outscored opponents 20-4 at Valley Stadium
• Yoshi Okawa leads USL League Two with 9 assists
• Dominick Bachstein and Mere Escobar have scored a goal in four consecutive matches

Up Next:

The Menace begin a two-match road swing in the capital city of Illinois on Wednesday, June 18 as they face Springfield FC. Kick-off from the pitch at Sacred Heart-Griffen High School is scheduled for 7:00 pm, and the match will be streamed on SportsEngine Play.