ST. PAUL – In front of an electric crowd, the University of Northwestern men's soccer team battled Snelling Ave rival Bethel University for 90 minutes Tuesday night. The Royals came out on top in the opener for both squads, 1-0.
 
The teams played to a 0-0 tie after the opening half, as both defenses shined in the first 45 minutes of the season.
 
After neither team could generate any offense through much of the second half, Bethel found the back of the net late in the game to give the Royals a 1-0 advantage.
 
Mateusz Gralinski applied pressure on the BU keeper late in the game, firing a shot that just missed, hitting inside the left post. The Royals hung on to take the contest, 1-0.
 
The Eagles will now travel to the University of St.Thomas Wednesday night for a meeting with the Tommies. The action in St. Paul will get underway at 5:30 p.m.