SUPERIOR, Wis. – The University of Northwestern Men's Soccer team's season ended Wednesday night in the UMAC Tournament Semifinals. The University of Wisconsin-Superior, once again the number one seed in the conference tournament, bested the Eagles by a 6-0 margin.
The Yellowjackets jumped out to a quick lead with a goal in the eighth minute. Northwestern tightened things up defensively for most of the first half after that, until UWS struck again in the 42
nd. Playing with a one-man advantage, the Jackets added goals in the 53
rd, 54
th, 63
rd and 73
rd minutes.
Kyle Dipzinski (Ionia, Mich./Ionia) made four saves to close out his freshman campaign before
Andrew Skoglund (Northfield, Minn./Skoglund Academy) came on in relief and made two saves of his own.
Simeon Friesen (Mounds View, Minn./Homeschool) had the lone shot on goal for UNW.
Northwestern's magical run to the UMAC Tournament, which required a pair of road wins in the final week of the season, comes to an end with a record of 6-8-4 and 6-5-3 in the UMAC regular season. The Eagles will lose senior
Jonathan-Thomas Olsen (Modesto, Calif./James Enochs High) to graduation, who finished his career with 14 goals and was a two-time All-UMAC Honorable Mention selection. Olsen's presence will be missed both on and off the field by UNW Men's Soccer.
The rest of the Eagles' roster is eligible to return for the 2024 season. Friesen led the 2023 team in goals with five, followed by
Garrett Miers (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) and
Aaron Hill (New Brighton, Minn./Mounds View) with four.
Joey McMillin (Hugo, Minn./Centennial),
Tim DeLoye (Wausau, Wisc./Wausau West) and
Gonzalo Luna Belmonte (Riverbank, Calif./Riverbank) all scored two goals, while
Nathan Martinez (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee),
Curtis Tinjum (Wausau, Wisc./Wausau West) and
Teddy Hall (Mendota Heights, Minn./Homeschool) each scored one. McMillin was also the team's assist leader with four, while Friesen and Miers finished with three apiece. Dipzinski had a nice rookie year in net, making 63 saves (3.7 per game) and turning in three clean sheets. Coach
Greg Wheaton's team is primed to take another step forward in 2024 with the talent that is set to return.
