WAVERLY, Iowa — The Augsburg University men's soccer team opened its 2026 season with a 2-2 tie at Wartburg University on Friday.
Christopher Plaza Alvarado scored at 79:01 as the Auggies took the lead late in the second half. The Auggies scored both of their goals after halftime and finished with nine shots, including four on goal, while goalkeeper
Finnur Mercier made his collegiate debut with four saves.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 2, Wartburg (Iowa) 2
LOCATION: Salzwedel Field, Waverly, Iowa
RECORDS: Augsburg 0-0-1 overall, Wartburg 1-0-1 overall
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Auggies kept the first half scoreless through a sustained Knights push before Alima Mmunga put the Knights ahead 1-0 at 38:24. Earlier, the Auggies created the first chances, with
Caleb Ibarra sending a shot out top at 1:09 before the visitors earned corners at 6:51 and 7:29 around another Ibarra attempt.
Finnur Mercier helped the Auggies withstand the Knights' pressure with saves on Mmunga shots at 19:39 and 29:55, while the Knights also missed two other attempts during that stretch. The Auggies pushed back after the goal with
Dailan Bangu's shot out top right at 43:51, but the visitors went into halftime trailing 1-0.
The Auggies turned a 1-0 second-half deficit into a late 2-1 lead, with
Liam Paradiso equalizing in the 60th minute off a
Gio Casias assist before Plaza Alvarado scored at 79:01. Earlier, Mercier kept the Auggies within reach with a save in the 50th minute, and Paradiso put a shot on frame less than four minutes later as the Auggies worked through a physical stretch that included fouls and cards on both sides.
The Auggies continued to create chances after the equalizer, earning a corner in the 64th minute and getting second-half shots from
Zachariah Sherian, Casias and Paradiso before Plaza Alvarado's goal. The Knights answered at 80:59 to tie the match, and Mercier added another save in the 85th minute before the Auggies earned a late corner at 85:56. The half ended with the score tied 2-2, leaving the match level at the final whistle.
Paradiso led the Auggies with three shots, putting all three on goal. Casias recorded an assist and added one shot. Mercier played all 90 minutes in goal and made four saves, with two in each half.
QUOTES FROM AUGSBURG COACH GREG HOLKER
"This is an outstanding Wartburg team, so for us to go on the road and earn a point was a very good start to the season. We didn't know what to expect after losing 53 goals and three All-Americans from last season, but we felt very good about the progress of the group thus far this pre-season, and tonight was a positive indication of that growth."
"
Liam Paradiso scored on his debut, and as he grew into the game became a very influential contributor.
Caleb Ibarra was a handful to deal with and created some really good moments for us throughout the game. Finnur Mericer got his first game under his belt, and he made two pivotal saves in the first half. His distribution was great, and he is only going to keep getting better as he gains more experience.
Gio Casias set up both goals and almost slammed a free kick home, missing just wide. Three of these guys are new to the squad and Ibarra saw limited minutes last season, so we have a lot to look forward to with this younger group."
"We got out of there with a few small injuries, but nothing major overall. Hosting Luther on Sunday will be another big test to see how we recover and move forward after a taxing night on grass. This annual opening weekend quad with Macalester, Luther, and Wartburg is a great way to begin the season for all of us. I hope we can keep that going in future years."
UP NEXT
Up next, the Auggies host Luther College on Sunday, Sept. 6, at 3 p.m. at Edor Nelson Field in Minneapolis.
