MANKATO, Minn. – The University of Northwestern men's soccer team traveled south to Mankato on Wednesday to open their conference season versus the Bethany Lutheran College Vikings. On a picture perfect fall evening, the Vikings emerged the victors by a 2-0 score.
It was destined to be a tough test out of the gates for the Eagles, as Bethany Lutheran finished second in the UMAC last season and defended their home field well, boasting an 8-1-3 record at Scheels Field.
BLC's goals were evenly distributed, with the first coming in the 14
th minute and the second coming in the 59
th minute, after the halftime intermission. Despite allowing two goals, UNW goalkeeper
Kyle Dipzinski (Ionia, Mich./Ionia) displayed some impressive skill en route to seven saves, a career high.
The Eagles had plenty of chances of their own, as they were able to fire off 11 shots in the contest. Four of those came from
Gonzalo Luna Belmonte (Riverbank, Calif./Riverbank), who found himself attacking early and often.
Simeon Friesen (Mounds View, Minn./Mounds View) added three shots, while
Joey McMillin (Hugo, Minn./Centennial),
Jackson Bauer (Lake in the Hills. IL./Huntley),
Aaron Hill (New Brighton, Minn./Mounds View) and
Alejandro Alfaro (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta) each contributed one shot on goal.
Northwestern will be back in action Saturday, September 16
th at 5:00 pm as part of an action-packed day at Reynolds Field, where they will continue conference play against Crown College.
