EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — Augsburg University played Wis.-Eau Claire to a 3-3 tie on Tuesday at Simpson Field. Augsburg's six ties are tied with the 2023 (8-4-6) and 1976 (10-1-6) campaigns for the most ties in a season in school history. Augsburg had seven ties (12-4-7) in 2008, when it advanced to the third round of the NCAA Division III national tournament.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 2, Wisconsin-Eau Claire 2
LOCATION: Simpson Field, Eau Claire, Wis.
RECORDS: Augsburg 3-1-6 overall, UW-Eau Claire 5-2-4 overall
HOW IT HAPPENED
Christopher Plaza Alvarado scored at 77:14, assisted by
Liam Paradiso, as the Auggies equalized late. The Auggies finished with 22 shots, including 15 in the second half, and put 10 shots on goal while holding a 4-2 edge in corner kicks.
The Auggies' first-half response came in the 24th minute, when
Caleb Ibarra finished a pass with a header in front from a deep left-side service by
Gio Casias to equalize at 1-1 after UW-Eau Claire had gone in front. Earlier, the Auggies absorbed several Blugolds chances in the opening 10 minutes, with
Finnur Mercier saving Brady Stamp's shot in the seventh minute before Stamp scored at 10:49 to put the Auggies behind 1-0.
Asher Johnson supplied the Auggies' first three shots, including a 17:02 attempt saved by Charlie Mroz, and Casias missed right at 21:27 before setting up Ibarra's equalizer. At 1-1, the Auggies again kept UW-Eau Claire off the board through a run of chances from 25:48 to 32:21 and added shots from Johnson and Casias, but Kyron Pope scored at 44:10 to send the Auggies into halftime down 2-1.
The Auggies answered twice in the second half, with Ibarra tying the match at 2-2 and Plaza Alvarado later bringing the score to 3-3. Earlier, with the Auggies down 2-1, Paradiso,
Gideon Lubin and
Noah Pittman recorded attempts, and the visitors later added shots by Ibarra,
Eric Riera and Casias before Ibarra scored at 71:47 on a shot from 30 yards out, off a slide pass form
Asher Johnson and a second assist from Pittman. UW-Eau Claire went back in front on Ramzi Ouro's goal at 74:25, but the Auggies responded at 77:14 when Plaza Alvarado scored on a low ground ball from the top of the 18-yard box from Paradiso's assist. The Auggies kept pressing after the equalizer, earning four corners from 83:12 to 85:24 and adding shots by Plaza Alvarado and
Anson Karn, while Mercier made saves at 86:49 and 89:28 as the match ended 3-3.
Ibarra scored twice and put all four of his shots on goal. Ibarra claimed his first collegiate multi-goal game with his two-goal effort and has four goals in his career, all scored in the Auggies' last three games. Plaza Alvarado added a goal on four shots, including three on frame.
Asher Johnson recorded an assist and finished with four shots. Casias tallied an assist and put two of his three shots on goal.
QUOTES FROM AUGSBURG COACH GREG HOLKER
"This game was a tale of two halves and missed chances. We were poor in the first half -- lacking a sense of compete and care. Despite that, Gio and Caleb connected for an outstanding goal that
Samson Gyasi started with a smart entry ball to get us level. Then, we were silly and spotted them a goal right before half."
"As has been the case this year, we got better in the second half and fought back to get in the game. They made a goalkeeping change that we took advantage of, and then we had a chance to go up 3-2 with a clear chance, but put it wide. They immediately when down and scored off another moment of confusion from us. Just when you think you are going to win, you are chasing the game."
"Fortunately, we kept pushing forward and creating chances and finally got the leveling goal with 13 minutes to play from Chris Plaza. We held tight with Finnur making a big save on Ramzi in the final minutes. Overall I think a draw was fair. I was proud of our ability to adjust our mentality at the half and compete, and for coming back once again to salvage points."
"This might be the year of the tie -- I remember in 2008 we had seven draws, but three of those came in the postseason. This is tied for the most regular-season ties an Augsburg team has had. It's indicative of a team trying to find itself -- and completely understandable after the roster turnover. We are getting better every day, though -- and getting closer to being able to get across the line for three full points. I am definitely excited about the group -- there is something in this team that is really fun."
UP NEXT
The Auggies host No. 17-ranked Saint John's University in a key Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 3:30 p.m. at Edor Nelson Field in Minneapolis.
