Men's Soccer 9/23/08 -- Augsburg 3, St. Olaf 0
GAME BOXSCORE | AUGSBURG SEASON STATISTICS
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MINNEAPOLIS (9/23/08) -- #D.J. Wendell# (JR, Princeton, Minn./Charles M. Russell (Mont.) HS) scored twice in a 10-minute span late in the game, clinching a 3-0 victory for Augsburg College over visiting St. Olaf College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's soccer game on Tuesday evening at Edor Nelson Field.
Wendell scored in the 75th minute, after a long service from Lucas Ingram (JR, Woodbury, Minn.) bounced over the head of St. Olaf goalkeeper Alex Kuehl (SO, Rochester, Minn./John Marshall HS) and to Wendell in front of an open net. He scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season 10 minutes later, after a shot by Andrew Seidel (SR, Woodbury, Minn.) was blocked by Kuehl and directed to Wendell.
Augsburg (5-1-1 overall, 3-1-0 MIAC) took a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute, as Nick Anderson (JR, White Bear Lake, Minn.) scored his first goal of the season off a rebound by a shot from 25 yards out by Marcus Elmerskog (FY, Trondheim, Norway).
"D.J. is supposed to score goals -- and he will tell you that. His performances are not a surprise anymore. He is a legitimate threat for us in the final third," said Augsburg head coach Greg Holker. "I'm glad Nick Anderson was rewarded for his hard work. He is the one that constantly strives to be better and pushes his teammates in a positive manner. It was great to see him get on the end of the first goal."
The Auggies were outshot by a 13-5 margin in the first half by St. Olaf (5-3-0 overall, 2-1-0 MIAC), as the Oles controlled possession for most of the period. However, the tide turned in the second half, as the Auggies outshot the Oles by a 14-5 margin, for a 19-18 overall advantage in the game. Goalkeeper Donnie McCarthy (SR, Whitehall, Mich.) collected seven saves in net for his first shutout of the season and third of his career.
"We were not good in the first half, and were fortunate St. Olaf didn't make us pay for it. Our goal came early and was a product of a good moment, but outside of that we struggled," Holker said. "Then the second half began, and we performed the way we expect to perform. The goals we scored were a bit sloppy, but they were a byproduct of our overall play; we had the ball in their end and in dangerous places."
Holker had compliments for several Augsburg players for their fine play in Tuesday's game.
"Van Hong (SO, St. Louis Park, Minn.) was incredible tonight. His work rate and technical performance was the best of the year. I can't wait to see him keep rolling with that under his belt," Holker said. "It was good to have Ryan Sorensen (JR, Plymouth, Minn./Osseo HS) back on the field, although in limited minutes. He should regain his fitness in our weekend trip to Wisconsin. We go as James See (SR, Richfield, Minn./Holy Angels HS) goes, and he made some internal changes at the half that really pushed our team over the edge. When his heart beats loud, his teammates jump on his back and perform at a whole different level."
For St. Olaf, John Zietlow (SO, Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) had seven shots, while Sam Harrington (SR, Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt HS) and Nate Swenson (JR, DePere, Wis.) had three shots apiece. Alex Kuehl (SO, Rochester, Minn./John Marshall HS) had six saves in goal for the Oles.
Augsburg has a weekend of games in Wisconsin, facing Wisconsin-Whitewater on Friday (9/26) at 3:30 p.m. (note time change) and Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Sunday (9/29) at 1 p.m. St. Olaf hosts St. John's in an MIAC game on Saturday (9/27) at 1 p.m.
"This weekend will be a significant challenge. Playing against two of the toughest teams in the Central Region, that are both fighting for Pool B bids, is no easy task. Oshkosh dropped a tough one to Central (Iowa) the other day and will be looking to get back on form. Whitewater is always tough, and they don't lose at home," Holker said.
