MINNEAPOLIS -- The Augsburg University men's soccer team's season came to an end with a 4-1 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason playoff semifinal loss at St. Olaf College on Thursday afternoon.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: St. Olaf 4, Augsburg 1
LOCATION: Rolf Mellby Field, Northfield, Minn.
RECORDS: Augsburg 12-4-5 overall, St. Olaf 13-4-3 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Tomas Menna (SR, Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids HS) scored for Augsburg in the 52nd minute, finishing a play started by an Eric Riera (SO, Fridley, Minn./Columbia Heights HS) centering pass from the right side to the six-yard box. Christopher Plaza (FY, New Brighton, Minn./St. Anthony Village HS) headed the ball toward the net, and Menna tapped the ball across the line for his ninth goal of the season.
• St. Olaf scored three goals in a 23-minute span in the first half to take a commanding lead, started by a penalty kick six minutes into play. After Augsburg cut the lead to 3-1, it had another opportunity on a penalty kick attempt in the 59th minute, but the shot sailed high.
• The defending NCAA Division III national champion Oles, seeded second in the six-team MIAC playoffs, outshot the No. 3-seed Auggies by a 20-13 margin in the game, including a 10-4 advantage in shots on-goal. The Oles held a 52-to-48-percent possession advantage in the game.
• Frankie Pinto (FY, Chicago, Ill./Maine South HS) had six saves in 87 minutes in goal, with Luke Omodt (SR, St. Anthony Village, Minn./St. Anthony Village HS) finishing the final three minutes.
• Mizael Harris (JR, Happy Valley, Ore./La Salle Catholic College Prep HS) and Riera had three shots each for the Auggies, while Menna had two shots.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• The game was the final collegiate contest for four Auggie seniors -- Menna, Omodt, Jakob Mohrlok (SR, Stuttgart, Germany/Schonbuch Gymnasium) and Owen Salzwedel (SR, St. Anthony Village, Minn./St. Anthony Village HS).
• Augsburg's 12 victories mark its third double-digit win campaign in the last four seasons, and 11th under 21st-year head coach Greg Holker.

FOR THE FOES
• Robi Buzakovic scored goal and added an assist, as did Ryan Bechtel and Shea Bechtel. Abdirasak Bulale scored the other Ole goal.
• Peter Forseth had three saves for St. Olaf.

QUOTES FROM AUGSBURG HEAD COACH GREG HOLKER
• "It was a tremendous season overall and we have nothing to be ashamed of. St. Olaf was sharp on the day to start, and we gifted them an early goal with a silly choice that allowed the referee to make the decision he did. As I watch it back, he got it right. We got overpowered on the second goal from the corner kick, and we got caught allowing Bulale to get inside of us on the third goal -- this is exactly how St. Olaf wins games. It's what they are best at, and our first half was poor enough to allow them to head into the break with a 3-0 lead."
• "From that point on, we came out and played and pushed them all over, creating numerous chances. We almost scored from the kickoff and didn't let off the gas. I was so proud of our resiliency to fight back and make a game of it. Menna got us on the board, appropriately, and then we earned the PK that would have got us within one. I back Joey 100 times over on that, as he has been our best player throughout the season. Not another person I'd want in that moment -- and the next time, I'd put him there again and I know he will score it."
• "We kept coming at them and their GK made some critical saves. The fourth goal was pretty tight for the AR,, and at that point in the game we had to risk pushing players forward, so no big deal, really."
• "Best of luck to St. Olaf and Gustavus moving forward. I am hopeful they both get in the NCAA tournament and can represent this incredible conference well. As for us, this group has a lot to be proud of. We climbed from seventh to fifth to third in the MIAC in consecutive seasons, and the players moving on had so much to do with that. They've lifted this program to a better place, and I know our returning guys will honor them by meeting their standard of work and care throughout the next nine months. Big thank you to Tomas Menna, Jakob Mohrlok, Luke Omodt, and Owen Salzwedel."