Box Score

NEW ULM, Minn. – Scoring was the name of the game for the Northwestern College men's soccer team Friday, as the Eagles kicked off Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play with a 5-2 win over Martin Luther College.

Before Friday's competition, NWC had scored just one goal in their three games of the 2012 campaign, but a flurry of goals from three different players helped the Eagles get on the scoreboard five times in their conference opener.

The game remained scoreless until the 37th minute, when a Martin Luther goal put the Knights up 1-0. The home team's goal began an onslaught of scoring as Sean Denniston (Hartland, Wis. /Arrowhead) found Paul Episcopo (Appleton, Wis./Appleton North) for the game-tying goal just one minute and seven seconds after Martin Luther had taken the lead.

Nearly two minutes later, the Eagles' offense struck again when Sam Mann (Woodbury, Minn./St. Paul Central) scored his second goal of the season off another Denniston assist to give the Eagles a 2-1 advantage. NWC's lead did not last long, however, as the Knights traveled back down the field to tie the game at 2-2 less than a minute after Mann's goal found the back of the net.

The score remained tied until the 50:56 mark, when freshman Garmina Paygah-Fangiah (Monrovia, Liberia/Coon Rapids ) scored the first goal of his collegiate career, once again reclaming the Eagles' one goal lead. The visitors on the scoreboard continued pressuring the goal until another Paygah-Fangiah shot, courtesy of teammate Sam Diatta (Ziguinchor, Senegal/St. Paul Central), got past the Martin Luther goalkeeper to put the visitors up 4-2 with just under 27 minutes left in regulation.

Two minutes later, the quick scoring trend continued as Mann scored the final goal of the evening, securing the lead for NWC.

Reigning UMAC Defensive Player of the Week Shane Coleman (Wyoming, Minn./Homeschool) held off six Martin Luther shots on goal en route to Northwestern's victory. The Eagles outshot the Knights 26-10 over the course of the 90 minutes of play, posting 16 shots on goal compared to Martin Luther's eight.

After a night of rest, the NWC (1-2) will return to the field tomorrow for a 2 p.m. conference matchup against Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minn. The Vikings currently possess a 2-3 record after beating North Central 3-0 on Friday evening.

Fans unable to be in Mankato for Saturday's matchup can follow the game via Bethany Lutheran's live stats, which can be found here.