NEW ULM, Minn. – The objective was clear--in order for the University of Northwestern Men's Soccer team to have a chance to qualify for the upcoming UMAC Playoffs, the Eagles would need to win both of their remaining regular season games. That message was apparently received loud and clear, as UNW was locked in from start to finish in its 3-1 win at Martin Luther College on Wednesday afternoon.
Aaron Hill (New Brighton, Minn./Mounds View) was all over the field offensively for Northwestern, acting as the sparkplug the offense needed. The junior ended a scoreless tie in the 16
th minute off a nice pass from
Garrett Miers (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) to draw first blood. Just five minutes later, Hill added his second goal of the game when he tapped the ball over a charging MLC goalkeeper and chased it down inside the box to finish the job.
In the 35
th minute, Hill nearly completed a hat trick as he narrowly missed with his left foot. Just before half,
Tim DeLoye (Wausau, Wisc./Wausau West) found
Nathan Martinez (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) for the sophomore's first goal of the season, putting the Eagles up 3-0. The Knights turned up the heat in the second half and were able to get on the board in the 85
th minute, but Northwestern was able to come away with the win to get back to .500 in conference play and keep its playoff hopes alive.
The Eagles out-shot the Knights 22-14 in the game, with 14 of those shots coming in their dominant first half. UNW also held the shots on goal edge by a 13-6 margin. Individually, Hill led the way with six shots, three on goal. Martinez shot three times, all on goal, while
Joey McMillin (Hugo, Minn./Centennial) finished with three shots, two of which were on goal. Miers,
Troy Johnson (Killeen, Texas/Killeen),
Samuel Thom (Mankato, Minn./Mankato East),
Luis Villalobos (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) and
Jackson Bauer (Lake in the Hills. IL./Huntley) each logged a shot on goal as well.
Kyle Dipzinski (Ionia, Mich./Ionia) made four saves to anchor the Eagles' defensive effort.
Northwestern will end its regular season Saturday at 3:30 PM when it travels to Northland College for a clash with the Lumberjacks. The Eagles will once again need to secure a win to stay in the hunt for the UMAC Playoffs. UNW defeated Northland 3-0 at home earlier in the season.
