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MINNEAPOLIS -- Scoring twice in the first 3:18 of play, the Augsburg College men's soccer team claimed a 4-1 victory over Bethel University in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest on Wednesday evening at Edor Nelson Field.

Chad Gilmer (SR, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) and Scott Clinton (SO, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) had a goal and assist each for Augsburg, which remained unbeaten at 5-0-1 overall in the team's conference opener. Danny Osip (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) and Tyler Heaps (SR, St. Paul, Minn./DeLaSalle HS) also scored for the Auggies.

The Auggies put their first goal on the scoreboard just 19 seconds into the game, as Gilmer scored his third goal of the season on a pass from Clinton off a sprint to the goal shortly following the opening kickoff. At the 3:18 mark, Osip scored his first goal of the year, heading home a free kick by Owen Byrnes (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS).

Bethel cut into the Augsburg lead in the 21st minute, converting a loose ball recovery by Brent Neihart (SR, Prairie Village, Kan./Barstow HS) into a goal by Martin Manocchio (JR, Austin, Minn.).

"We did exactly what we needed in the opening minutes of the game. Scoring 19 seconds into the game was a boost, and following that up with a set piece goal was fantastic," said Augsburg head coach Greg Holker. "Unfortunately, we may have accomplished our initial task too early, and then we let off the gas a little bit. Bethel worked their tails off and made a game of it for the rest of the first half. They earned their goal by capitalizing on our lethargic play in the back. We deserved to get punished for that."

Augsburg scored twice in the second half to extend the lead. In the 50th minute, Heaps scored on a rebound off a free kick by Gilmer, and in the 60th minute, Clinton scored his third goal of the season, finishing a sprint by Ryan Schlittler (JR, Eagan, Minn.) and Edi Becerra (JR, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Minneapolis Southwest HS).

"The second half was much crisper -- we kept the ball and changed the point of attack well. There are still a lot of things we need to improve on, but at least we took a step forward after the break," Holker said. "Chad showed why he is a threat, and Danny Osip continues to impress with his offensive contributions from center back. Clinton is on fire, scoring again and setting up another -- he has three goals and two assists in the four games he has played. I thought Tanner McCarthy (SO, Windsor Heights, Iowa/Dowling Catholic HS) had a strong performance on the ball."

Augsburg outshot Bethel by a 16-2 margin, including a 7-0 advantage in the second half. Clayton Lynch (JR, Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier HS) had one save in 81 minutes of work, with Nick Lenertz (FY, Newport, Minn./Park HS) making his collegiate goalkeeping debut in the final nine minutes of the game.

Chris Scott (JR, Cedar, Minn./St. Francis HS) had six saves for Bethel.

Augsburg will play host to regional power Loras (Iowa) on Friday (9/14) as part of a soccer doubleheader at Edor Nelson Field. The women's teams will play at 5 p.m., with the men's game to follow at 7:30 p.m. Loras is currently ranked No. 4 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Continental Tire Division III national poll, while Augsburg is ranked No. 24. Loras is ranked No. 3 in the latest D3soccer.com national poll.

"Fourth-ranked Loras comes in town on Friday and they just earned a great win over UW-Whitewater tonight," Holker said. "They have a dozen dangerous players and are looking crisp already at this point in the season. We will have to be at our very best to get points off of them."