BOXSCORE | AUGSBURG MEN'S SOCCER VIDEO PAGE

MINNEAPOLIS -- Ahmed Gobana (SO, Burnsville, Minn.) scored two goals, and Matt Bowman (SO, Maple Grove, Minn.) had a goal and an assist, as the No. 14-ranked Augsburg College men's soccer team remained unbeaten with a 4-2 win over visiting St. John's University in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest on Wednesday evening at Edor Nelson Field.

Gobana scored twice in a five-minute span early in the first half for Augsburg (5-0-1 overall, 1-0-0 MIAC), scoring on a feed from David Scheller (SO, Maple Grove, Minn.) in the 16th minute, and again on a pass from Van Hong (JR, St. Louis Park, Minn.) in the 21st minute. Gobana now has a team-leading five goals this season for the Auggies.

The scoring opened quickly, as the two teams scored goals 33 seconds apart in the fourth minute of play. Kevin Saunders (JR, Hastings, Minn.) put St. John's (2-2-0 overall, 0-1-0 MIAC) on the scoreboard at the 3:19 mark, when his feed from the corner deflected off of an Augsburg defender, off the crossbar and into the goal.

But Augsburg quickly tied the game at the 3:54 mark. Chad Gilmer (FY, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) scored his first collegiate goal, scoring off a corner kick by Bowman and a feed from Scheller.

"We conceded early on an awkward goal, but our response was swift and convincing. Gilmer picked the right moment to record his first collegiate goal," said Augsburg head coach Greg Holker.

The teams again exchanged goals in rapid fashion 10 minutes later. Colin Hall (JR, Maple Grove, Minn.) gave the Johnnies the lead on an unassisted goal from the right side in the 14th minute, but two minutes later, Gobana scored the first of his two goals in the game, then put the Auggies ahead with his goal in the 21st minute.

"Again, we made another uncharacteristic error by failing to clear and Colin Hall made us pay. But again, we came right back down and Scheller served a cherry to Gobana across the face of the goal," Holker said. "Gobana's second was orchestrated by Van Hong and was an incredibly thoughtful and creative moment and a great finish. I can't wait to see that on film again."

Augsburg capped the scoring in the 69th minute, as Bowman, who had missed all of last season due to a life-threatening heart condition, scored his first collegiate goal on a free kick from 25 yards out.

"Bowman spent 20 minutes last night hitting dead balls and it paid off. He smacked it right where it needed to be to seal the result," Holker said. "I don't like conceding two goals, but it was certainly some of the most entertaining soccer played on this field in some time. If you arrived late, you would have been shocked to miss five goals."

Augsburg claimed a 25-9 advantage in shots in the contest and a 5-2 edge in corner kicks.

Augsburg goalkeeper Pascaul Venter (SR, Rochester, Minn./John Marshall HS) collected three saves to pick up the win, while Luke Nelson (SR, Caledonia, Minn.) took the loss in goal for the Johnnies with nine saves.

Both teams return to MIAC play on Saturday (9/19), as Augsburg hosts St. Thomas at 7 p.m. at Edor Nelson Field, while St. John's hosts St. Olaf at 1 p.m. in Collegeville, Minn.

"I thought Peter Osborn (SO, Eagan, Minn./Eastview HS) was great on the day and he will be called upon to be just as good on Saturday after #T.J. Haag# (JR, Apple Valley, Minn./Burnsville HS) went down with an ankle injury," Holker said. "St. Thomas has been a thorn in our side for as long as I've been here. They're the only team we have yet to defeat. Mike Hutton has three goals in three games and we have to contain him to have a chance."