Women's Soccer 9/2/06 -- Augsburg (Minn.) 3, Loras (Iowa) 0

BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS (9/2/06) -- The game was advertised on the D3kicks.com website, a site that covers Division III soccer, as the "Offensive Game of the Week" for the upcoming week of women's soccer nationally.

However, it was the Augsburg College defense that made the difference, as Maggie DeGroot (Fr., Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha West HS) made six saves to record her ninth career shutout, and the rest of the Auggie defense stifled the Loras College attack in a 3-0 nonconference victory on Saturday night at Augsburg's Edor Nelson Field.

Loras outshot Augsburg by a 9-5 margin in the second half, but Augsburg was able to make a 1-0 halftime advantage stand, adding two goals in the final 17 minutes to produce the final margin.

It was the first game of the season for both teams. Loras, winners of four of the last five Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles, was one of the top scoring teams in the country last season, outscoring its opponents by a 62-11 margin.

"Anytime you beat a team like Loras, one of the top teams in the nation, it's obviously a great win," said Augsburg coach Mike Navarre. "However, to accomplish our goals this season, we have to recover quickly and continue to play well, because we have another solid opponent, in Lewis and Clark, to face on Monday."

Augsburg opened the scoring in the 18th minute, as Emily Anderson * (Sr., Hudson, Wis.) scored, putting home a shot off a long free kick by Kelsey Watsabaugh (So., Eden Prairie, Minn./Hopkins HS).

In the second half, Becky Lewis (Sr., Duluth, Minn./Duluth Marshall HS) scored on a corner kick by Shannon Olson * (Sr., Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy HS) and pass by Mitra Rahimi (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) in the 74th minute.

Whitney Holman (Fr., New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) capped the scoring for the Auggies with 19 seconds left in the second half, scoring her first collegiate goal on assists from Angie Neuhaus (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest HS) and Olson.

Augsburg outshot Loras by a 13-11 margin, including an 8-2 edge in the first half. Holman had five shots for the Auggies, while Lewis and Anderson had three shots each.

Allison Sayni (Jr., Bettendorf, Iowa), Maria Prendergast (Jr., Rochester, Minn./Century HS), Jenna Kosek (So., Batavia, Ill.) and Lisa Morrissey (Fr., Urbandale, Iowa/Dowling HS) had two shots each for Loras.

DeGroot made four saves in the second half en route to her first shutout win of the season. Torey Murray (So., Des Moines, Iowa/Lincoln HS) started and made two saves for Loras in the first half, with Casey Driscoll (So., West Allis, Wis./Nathan Hale HS) making one save in the second half.

"I'm just very proud of our team," Navarre said. "We've had a great pre-season and have come together quickly. Every player in our program cares and plays for her teammates, and that counts for so much when you are going after championships."

Augsburg returns to action on Monday (9/4) at 11 a.m. with a nonconference game against Lewis and Clark (Ore.) at Edor Nelson Field. Loras returns to action on Sunday (9/3) at 4 p.m., with a nonconference game at St. Thomas.