MINNEAPOLIS -- Making his collegiate debut in goal, Frankie Pinto (FY, Chicago, Ill./Maine South HS) stopped all five shots he faced for the shutout, as his Augsburg University men's soccer team opened its 2024 campaign with a 0-0 tie with the University of Wisconsin-Superior on Friday evening at Edor Nelson Field.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 0, Wisconsin-Superior 0
LOCATION: Edor Nelson Field, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 0-0-1 overall, UW-Superior 0-0-1 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Augsburg outshot UW-Superior by a 16-9 margin in a competitive, physical contest. The teams combined for 36 fouls (UW-Superior 20, Augsburg 16) in the game, with Yellowjacket players receiving four yellow cards and Auggies players receiving three. 
• The teams played an evenly-matched game, with Augsburg holding a 53-to-47 percent possession advantage. The Auggies' fitness proved to be a strong factor in holding off a physical attack by the Yellowjackets, winners of the last six Upper Midwest Athletic Conference regular-season titles and seven conference playoff titles.
• Pinto had an strong performance in goal in his college debut, collecting three impressive saves in the first half and two more in the second half.
• Mizael Harris (SO, Portland, Ore./La Salle Catholic College Prep HS) had six shots, including four on-net. Mitchel Munzing (JR, Portland, Ore./Grant HS) had four shots in the game, including two on-frame.
• Eighteen different Auggies saw action in the season-opening contest.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• Augsburg leads the all-time series with UW-Superior by a 16-6-2 margin, including a 4-1-1 mark in the teams' last six meetings. It was the first scoreless draw in the series between the two schools.

FOR THE FOES
• Alex Paredes had eight saves in goal for the shutout for UW-Superior.
• Josh Bellamy and Isaac Becket had three shots each.

QUOTES FROM AUGSBURG HEAD COACH GREG HOLKER
• "Loved that we kept a clean sheet in Frankie's debut. He is such a good young player, and he showed why tonight, connecting with our backs and making the critical saves when called upon."
• "(UW-Superior Coach Joe) Mooney and I were talking after the game, and we didn't think we'd ever had a goalless match, so this was something new. We had chances, but just weren't sharp in the final action tonight. I don't think that will be common as we get moving forward."
• "Superior is a difficult opponent to play, they are well structured and big and strong, and there wasn't a lot of space. We were torn between playing over the top from the middle third or connecting in those tight spaces. When we played fast, we were very effective and could break lines both ways. When we slowed down, we became a bit more predictable and didn't create much in those moments. It was a good first test, but we have to do more to get wins. Hopefully we can move forward on Sunday in Green Bay."

UP NEXT
• Augsburg finishes its opening weekend of play with a nonconference contest at St. Norbert (Wis.) on Sunday (9/1) at 1 p.m. in De Pere, Wis.