MINNEAPOLIS -- Samson Gyasi (JR, Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy HS) scored his first collegiate goal in the 84th minute, lifting the Augsburg University men's soccer team to a season-opening 1-0 nonconference win over St. Norbert College on Friday evening at Edor Nelson Field.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 1, St. Norbert (Wis.) 0
LOCATION: Edor Nelson Field, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 1-0-0 overall, St. Norbert 0-1-0 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Augsburg outshot St. Norbert by a 20-10 margin and held a 61-to-39-percent edge in possession, but was unable to find the scoring advantage until Gyasi scored with 6:34 left.
• On a scramble following a throw-in by Remus Repcak (JR, Tualatin, Ore./Tualatin HS) to the six-yard box, Gyasi collected a loose ball off a header by Jeffrey Richter (SR, Portland, Ore./La Salle Catholic College Prep HS) and slammed the ball to the top right corner of the net for his first collegiate goal.
• Friday's game featured the Augsburg debuts for seven players, including starting goalkeeper Christian Hodges (FY, New Albany, Ohio/Tree of Life Christian School), who had one save for his first collegiate shutout. Forward Carver Tierney (SR, Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo HS), a transfer from Mercyhurst (Pa.), had eight shots. Defender Cole Pettit (JR, Milwaukee, Wis./Nicolet HS), a transfer from North Central (Ill.), and Asher Johnson (JR, Waconia, Minn./Waconia HS), also a Mercyhurst transfer, made their Auggie debuts in the starting lineup on Friday.

QUOTES FROM AUGSBURG COACH GREG HOLKER
• "This was a tough first test for us tonight, and full credit to St. Norbert for their role in that. To persevere in the end was a tribute to the group's positive mentality. This team has something special in it, and finding a win like this early in the season will only help that. We did something tonight we haven't been able to do in a few years, and that was to find a way to win by scoring on a set piece. We just weren't finishing our chances in the run of play, and it felt like one of those nights for a while, but the guys hung in there and found a way."
• "I think Samson was on the field for three minutes, as we shifted our shape to throw everything we had at their goal, and he smashed home his first collegiate goal from Remus's throw-in. That was pretty cool for him. We had seven players make their Augsburg debut, including four starters, and all did well on the night. A clean sheet to start the season for Hodges was a nice cap to his debut in goal. He's going to play an important role in this team."
• "A good start, and now it's recovery time before we kick off on Sunday vs. Linfield."

FOR THE FOES
• Hayden Dunn had four shots for St. Norbert, with Joe Lewcock claiming three shots.
• Jackson Kiszka had five saves in goal.

UP NEXT
• Augsburg hosts Linfield University (Ore.) in a nonconference contest on Sunday (8/31) at 1 p.m. at Edor Nelson Field.