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

BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS (9/3/06) -- Claiming its fourth straight shutout and extending its team streak of shutout minutes to 392, the Augsburg College men's soccer team scored a 2-0 victory over visiting Loras College in a nonconference men's soccer game Sunday afternoon before 425 fans at Edor Nelson Field.

Goalkeeper Pascaul Venter (So., Rochester, Minn./John Marshall HS) made six saves to claim his second collegiate shutout for the Auggies, now 2-0 overall.

"Pascaul was tested for the first time today, and was up to the challenge," said Augsburg head coach Greg Holker. "He came up with a couple of big catches on crosses, and his match management was critical for us in holding the lead."

Loras, which won the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Division III national playoffs round of 16 last season, is now 1-1 overall. The Duhawks topped St. Thomas 3-1 on Saturday.

Augsburg extended its team shutout streak to 392 minutes over parts of five games dating to last season -- four straight shutouts (two last season) and 12 minutes of a fourth game last season.

Augsburg's defense withstood a Loras attack in the second half, as the Duhawks outshot the Auggies 9-5, en route to an advantage of 13-8 in shots in the game. The game was a physical one, with Augsburg committing 26 fouls and Loras committing 15.

After a scoreless first half, Augsburg scored twice in the second half to secure the win. In the 58th minute, Andrew Seidel (So., Woodbury, Minn.) collected his team-leading third goal of the season on a blast from the left side, following a feed by Ryan Sorensen (Fr., Plymouth, Minn./Osseo HS).

"Andy Seidel continues to find ways to score from all over the field," Holker said. "His finish today from a very good Sorensen entry ball helped excite our crowd and re-inject a new energy in the stadium. It was also nice to have our 'Crowd Control' back -- a strong student-supported section."

In the 79th minute, Augsburg's Nick Manders (Jr., De Pere, Wis./West De Pere HS) put the Auggies ahead 2-0, putting a one-timer in the net on a Vinnie Brooks * (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo HS) free kick.

"Nick Manders came on as a second half substitute for Cassidy Duerr (So., Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park HS)," Holker said. "We wanted a bigger presence in the back and a strong player in the air defensively. As it turns out, we got that and more, as he scored a great goal on Vinnie's set piece to seal the result."

Kevin Smerko (Sr., Rockford, Ill./Boylan Catholic HS) made three saves for the Duhawks. Santiago Mejia (Fr., Cali, Columbia/Colegio Bolivar HS) collected three shots for Loras, while Mike Richter (Jr., Libertyville, Ill./Carmel HS) and John Macchione (Fr., Bartlett, Ill.) had two shots apiece.

Augsburg returns to action with a nonconference game on Wednesday (9/6) at 5 p.m. at Northwestern-Roseville. Loras returns to action on Tuesday (9/5) at 7 p.m. with its third straight game against a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opponent, a home contest against St. Mary's in Dubuque, Iowa.