Men's Soccer 9/30/04 -- Augsburg 9, Bethany Lutheran 2 

BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS (9/30/04) -- Forward Mike Elcano (Sr., Sparks, Nev./Bishop Manogue HS) tied a school single-game scoring record with four goals and added two assists for a school-record 10-point performance, leading the Augsburg College men's soccer team to its biggest goal output in two decades, in a 9-2 nonconference victory over Bethany Lutheran College on Thursday night at Edor Nelson Field.

Teammate Aaron Riedel (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) also had a hat trick for the Auggies, with three goals and an assist, as the Auggies dominated from start to finish, improving to 7-3-1 overall.

Bethany Lutheran, a school in its first year as a four-year program after its previous existence as a two-year college, is now 4-7-2.

It was a game of milestones for Augsburg, as Elcano tied Riedel's previous single-game goal record (since 1979). Riedel had four goals in a 7-2 win over Coe (Iowa) last season. Elcano's 10-point performance (four goals, two assists) eclipsed the previous school best (since 1979) of nine points (three goals, three assists), set by Matt Lachner in an 8-0 win over Wisconsin-Superior in 2000.

Augsburg's school records date to 1979, the first year of accurate men's soccer statistics for the program.

Augsburg's nine goals surpassed the team's high for scoring since 1979 -- eight goals set twice in wins over Wisconsin-Superior, in 2000 and 2002.

With its seventh win of the season, Augsburg tied the 1997 (7-10-1) and 1995 (7-9-0) seasons for its most wins in a single season since 1980, the last year that Augsburg won a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title (11-1-3 overall, 9-0-3 MIAC).

Augsburg outshot Bethany Lutheran by a 46-3 margin, with Elcano contributing 18 shots and Riedel contributing 11. Eight different Auggies figured in the scoring. Augsburg also dominated in corner kicks, with 16 to BLC's 0.

Elcano scored twice from Clarke Athman (Sr., St. Joseph, Minn.) in the first 28 minutes on virtually identical plays, as Athman drove on the left side of the penalty box and found Elcano in the middle with perfect touch passes.

Bethany Lutheran made the game close at the 40:37 mark, as Nik Schultz (So., Plymouth, Minn./West Lutheran HS) fired a blast from 30 yards out that just passed the outstretched arms of Augsburg goalkeeper Lucas Grant (Sr., Starbuck, Minn./Minnewaska HS).

But 23 seconds later, Riedel regained the advantage for the Auggies with a blast from the top of the penalty box. Noah Turner (So., Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS) found the net for the Auggies in the 45th minute, taking a crossing pass from Riedel at the top of the penalty box and pushing it to the goal.

Fourteen minutes into the second half, Bethany Lutheran scored off a free kick, after the Augsburg goalkeeper was whistled for a handball outside the penalty box. Aaron Lindquist (Fr., Zimmerman, Minn./Elk River HS) tapped the free kick to Oliver Lundquist (Jr., Mankato, Minn./Mankato West HS), who deposited the ball past the Augsburg wall to the left lower corner of the goal.

But Augsburg poured it on in the second half, with five straight goals -- two from Elcano and two from Riedel, along with the first collegiate goal for Andrew Connor (Fr., Montague, Mich./North Muskegon HS). Elcano scored on a rebound from a Mark Cohn (Fr., Anoka, Minn./Blaine HS) shot in the 63rd minute, followed three minutes later by Riedel's goal from Elcano.

Riedel added a goal on a deflected shot in the 73rd minute, and Elcano headed in a pass from Ryan Bentley (So., Lake Geneva, Wis./Big Foot HS) in the 80th minute. Connor deflected in a shot by Elcano in the 84th minute to close the scoring.

Cole Downing (Fr., Elk River, Minn.) made seven saves in 80 minutes for Bethany Lutheran, before being relieved by Patrick Waddell (So., Elk River, Minn.), who made two saves in the last 10 minutes.

Augsburg returns to action on Tuesday (10/5) as part of a nonconference doubleheader at Northwestern-Roseville. The women's game is at 2 p.m., with the men's game following at 4:15 p.m. Bethany Lutheran has an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference game against St. Scholastica on Friday (10/1) at 5 p.m. in Mankato.