MINNEAPOLIS -- Behind a two-goal, one-assist effort from Kobby Owu (JR, St. Paul, Minn./Como Park HS), the Augsburg University men's soccer team claimed its fifth straight win to start the season, a 4-0 nonconference triumph over the University of Northwestern-St. Paul on Thursday evening.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 4, Northwestern-St. Paul 0
LOCATION: Edor Nelson Field, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 5-0-0 overall, Northwestern-St. Paul 1-2-0 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED
• After a scoreless first half, the Auggies poured on the pressure in the second half, outshooting the Eagles by an 11-5 margin and controlling possession by a 63-to-37-percent margin in the game.
• Owu put Augsburg on the scoreboard in the 56th minute, sprinting through the middle of the Northwestern defense and firing a shot from 25 yards out.
• Seven minutes later, Owu assisted Helio De La Torre (SO, Oakdale, Minn./Mahtomedi HS) in scoring his Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference-leading fifth goal of the season. Owu drove into the 18-yard box and slid a pass to the right side, enabling De La Torre to finish for the goal.
• Owu scored his second goal of the game, and fourth of the season, in the 72nd minute, taking a feed from Alex Jiles (JR, Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights HS) and drilling a shot from right to left.
• Tomas Piza-Gonzalez (FY, Minneapolis, Minn./Hiawatha Collegiate HS) finished the scoring for the Auggies in the 82nd minute, assisted by Kebba Janneh (FY, Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove HS) scored in and Giles.
• The Auggies ended up outshooting the Eagles by a 17-6 margin, and had eight corner kicks to the Eagles' one.
• Oscar Herrera (FY, Madison, Wis./Madison West HS) and Toby Reinsma (SO, Grand Rapids, Mich./The Potter's House HS) combined for the shutout win in goal, with Herrera recording one save in 84 minutes and Reinsma claiming a save in six minutes of relief.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• Augsburg has the three top point-scorers in MIAC men's soccer to open the season. De La Torre leads the MIAC with five goals and two assists for 12 points, while Janneh and Owu both have four goals and an assist for nine points. Augsburg has now outscored its opponents by a 16-3 margin.
• Augsburg's 5-0-0 start marks the first time it has started a season with fve straight wins since the 2006 campaign, when the Auggies won their first six games and went unbeaten in their first 10 games (8-0-2), en route to a 13-3-3 campaign.

FOR THE FOES
• Austin Gunkel had four saves in goal for Northwestern, playing 70 minutes. Aidan Lynch had a save in 20 minutes of relief.
• Jonathan-Thomas Olsen had three shots for the Eagles.

QUOTES FROM AUGSBURG COACH GREG HOLKER
• "I was really pleased with how patient we were in the game, and how we stayed true to what we wanted to do. Northwestern was a difficult nut to crack in the first half, and our guys did not get frustrated. They knew that if they kept increasing the tempo, eventually the gaps would open and we would get in. It took a forced turnover by Helio to get us started, but after that, there were some clinical goals."
• "Kobby was so good tonight. Both of his goals were striker's goals -- taking what is given and making it count. Really good. In addition, his work to set up Helio's goal was unreal. He megged two guys and slipped a ball into a tight window. He didn't admire his work, either -- he ran to get to a good spot in the box in case Helio wanted to square it in the end."
• "Nick Zuchowski and Helio De La Torre were so important to our team today. Nick ran the show from that deeper midfield position, and Helio's hunting and work up top created a lot of turnovers that kept Northwestern from getting into any flow. I was so happy for Tomas Piza Gonazalez -- he really needed that goal, and I think it will just get him going. He is such an exciting player and brings a different element to how we break down the opposition."
• "We got through the first phase relatively healthy and are happy with the quality of our play. Now we need to speed it up and push ourselves to keep getting better, because ultimately, that's all that matters. "

UP NEXT
• Augsburg opens MIAC play on Wednesday (9/15) at 4 p.m., with a game at Hamline University.