BOXSCORE
MINNEAPOLIS -- Augsburg College scored twice in the final 6:03 of regulation to force overtime, then Scott Clinton (JR, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) put home the game-winner in the second overtime, as the Auggies topped the University of Dubuque 3-2 in a nonconference men's soccer game on Friday evening at Edor Nelson Field.
In the first game of the season for both teams, Dubuque took a 2-0 lead with 13:41 remaining in regulation time, but the Auggies rallied back with two goals in the final 6:03 to force overtime in the first game on the new FieldTurf surface at Edor Nelson Field.
"That was a tremendous effort by the guys. To be down 2-0 with five minutes to go and find a way to get level was absolutely fun to be a part of. This is a young team and it took a while for us to get going in the game, but once we settled in and started to feel more comfortable, the quality of soccer elevated and our chances increased," said Augsburg head coach Greg Holker. "It felt good to open a renovated Edor Nelson Field with a win. We certainly wanted to honor our alumni and the tradition of this facility tonight."
Ben Henry (FY, Manitowoc, Wis./Lincoln HS) headed home a corner kick by Joey Decklever (FY, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North HS) to cut the lead to 2-1, then with 43 seconds left in the second half, Tanner McCarthy (JR, Windsor Heights, Iowa/Dowling Catholic HS) scored off a scramble in front of the goal following a corner kick.
In the second overtime, Ngochinyan Ollor (SO, Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) collected the ball near the end line following a sprint downfield, then fed Clinton across the box for the game-winning goal.
"Ben Henry stood out for me, but I really feel that Bobby Kohl (FY, Shorewood, Wis.) was the man of the match. He didn't figure in the scoring, but his performance was impressive all around and he changed the game when he moved up top," Holker said.
Dubuque opened the scoring in the 34th minute, taking advantage of an Augsburg "own goal," as the ball was directed into the goal by the Auggie defense. Daniel Morris (SO, Heidelberg, Germany) gave the Spartans a 2-0 lead on a long sprint to the goal in the 77th minute.
"Conceding an awkward own goal was not what we were looking for - it was an unfortunate moment that is far behind us now. The second goal came in transition and we need to get better at slowing our opponents down in those moments," Holker said.
After being outshot by a 7-3 margin in the first half, Augsburg outshot Dubuque by a 16-4 margin the remainder of the game, ending up with a 19-11 shots advantage. Augsburg also had 10 corner kicks to Dubuque's three.
Clayton Lynch (SR, Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier HS) collected three saves in goal for the Auggies. Jake O'Rourke (SR, Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman HS) had one save in the first half for Dubuque, with Jose Resendiz (SO, Streamwood, Ill.) claiming three saves the rest of the way.
Augsburg hosts Wartburg (Iowa) in a nonconference game on Saturday (8/31) at 7 p.m. at Edor Nelson Field.
"Dubuque is a solid team, and a really good first test. Unfortunately we don't have much time to smile, because we have to figure out how to handle a Wartburg team that just beat St. Thomas (on Friday)," Holker said.
