Men's Soccer 9/6/06 -- Augsburg 1, Northwestern-Roseville 0

BOXSCORE

ROSEVILLE, Minn. (9/3/06) -- Entering their nonconference affair Wednesday afternoon, four of the last six head-to-head meetings between the Augsburg College and Northwestern College-Roseville men's soccer teams had been decided by one goal. The trend continued once again, as the visiting Auggies prevailed for a 1-0 shutout over Northwestern in the Eagles' 2006 home opener on Reynolds Field.

With the loss, Northwestern slipped to 0-2 overall on the year, while Augsburg remains undefeated on the year with a perfect 3-0 showing. The Auggies have now strung together five consecutive shutouts dating back to last season, covering 482 minutes of play.

"This wasn't our best performance, but we result was fair," said Augsburg head coach Greg Holker. "It was our first time on grass, which slowed things down for us, and I think maybe the first day of class threw some of our newer players off. It is always difficult to clear your mind and prepare yourself for midweek games when class is in session."

Kelsey Duerr (Fr., Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park HS) netted the game's lone goal at the 12:38 mark in the first half, off an assist from Vinnie Brooks * (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo HS). That would be all the Auggies would need as they outshot Northwestern 25-to-10, owned a 14-to-3 advantage in shots-on-goal, and tallied 11 corner kicks compared to just two for Northwestern.

"Kelsey Duerr was our strongest player on the day," Holker said. "He created a lot of chances with his height advantange, struck the ball well all day, and did very well holding possession for us in the final third. This was easily his best performance this season."

Augsburg goalkeeper Pascaul Venter (So., Rochester, Minn./John Marshall HS) picked up the win and shutout (the third of his college career), while Eagle goalkeeper Mark Beck (Woodbury, Minn.) suffered the loss, despite recording 13 saves. Joe Fast (Fr., Eagan, Minn./Henry Sibley) and Calvin Kanowitz (So., St. Paul, Minn./Johnson) each were credited with 2 shots to highlight a low-key Northwestern offense.

Holker noted that Venter came up with a penalty kick save with 12 minutes remaining in the game, after an Augsburg player was called for a handball.

Northwestern College is now 7-8-2 all-time against Augsburg College and 4-4-2 at home against the Auggies. Augsburg returns to action with a nonconference home weekend at Edor Nelson Field, hosting the Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.) on on Saturday (9/9) at 1 p.m. and Carroll (Wis.) on Sunday (9/10) at 1 p.m. Northwestern hosts Bethany Lutheran in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference action next Friday (9/15) at 4 p.m.

"This is an important weekend for us as we finish our preparation for the conference season," Holker said.