GAME BOXSCORE

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Augsburg College men's soccer team edged closer to a berth in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason playoffs, scoring a 3-1 victory at Hamline University on Saturday afternoon.

Benjamin Wexler (SR, Minnetonka, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret HS), Gottlieb Uahengo (SO, Windhoek, Namibia/St. George's College) and Josh Sweeney (SO, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) scored goals for Augsburg (11-4-1 overall, 5-2-1 MIAC), which won its third straight game.

Entering the final week of the regular season, Augsburg remains solidly in the hunt for a berth in the four-team MIAC playoffs, while also having a shot at claiming the regular-season conference title. The Auggies have 16 points (three points for a win, one for a tie) in the league table, with two conference games remaining, both at Edor Nelson Field -- against St. Mary's on Tuesday (10/26) at 7:30 p.m., and against Gustavus on Friday (10/29) at 7 p.m. Augsburg currently stands in fourth place in the standings, with six teams still alive for the conference postseason.

Augsburg opened the scoring in the 12th minute, as Wexler scored his sixth goal of the season off a cross from David Scheller (JR, Maple Grove, Minn.).

"We got off to a good start when Wexler beat their left back one-vs.-one and tucked a bending ball off the far post and in," said Augsburg head coach Greg Holker. "It was a good service from Scheller, but a very good finish from Wexler."

However, the Pipers (6-10-0 overall, 2-6-0 MIAC) tied the game just six minutes later on an Augsburg "own goal," as a shot off a free kick was bobbled into the net.

"Giving up the goal we conceded was frustrating because we spent some time yesterday dealing with that situation -- a dangerous service from a free kick," Holker said. "Credit to their guy who got to it first and popped it up in the air, creating even more chaos and eventually the own goal."

Uahengo put the Auggies ahead to stay in the 36th minute, heading home a long cross from Tyler Heaps (SO, St. Paul, Minn./DeLaSalle HS).

"Gottlieb's goal to put us ahead again came from a good sequence. #T.J. Haag# (SR, Apple Valley, Minn./Burnsville HS) and Heaps combined well on the right flank, and the service from Tyler was right where we wanted it. 'G' took care of the rest with his header," Holker said. "T.J. Haag was fantastic. He was a calming presence who moved the ball very well and commanded the game. I am glad he is peaking at the right time.

The Auggies added an insurance goal in the 57th minute, as Sweeney scored from Ahmed Gobana (JR, Burnsville, Minn.) following a free kick.

"Sweeney's was a poacher's goal, cleaning up a bobbled save after Gobana's blast from the top of the box off of a free kick," Holker said. "It was around this time that we settled in and played quite well. We didn't manage the game the best at the end, and Hamline put a lot of pressure by getting players forward on longer services, but we hung on to get the three points."

Saturday's win over Hamline also provided the Auggies a chance to give many players valuable time, as 20 Auggies saw action in the contest.

"I was very pleased with Edi Becerra (FY, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Minneapolis Southwest HS) and Owen Byrnes (FY, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) when they entered in the second half. Their contribution was fantastic and they were prepared to play. I also thought Mohamed Sankoh (FY, ST. Paul, Minn./Como Park, Minn.) did very well with his minutes, and look forward to seeing more out of those three first-years on Tuesday," Holker said.

Augsburg outshot Hamline by a 12-5 margin in the game, and had six corner kicks to the Pipers' one.