MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Forecasts for Saturday afternoon predicted possible showers in downtown Minneapolis. While those at Elliot Park Field stayed dry for the duration of the match between the University of Northwestern and North Central University Men's Soccer Teams, the Eagles rained shot after shot upon the Rams defense all afternoon. Unfortunately for the UNW faithful, they were only able to convert one of those attempts en route to a 1-1 draw.
Despite the even final score, Northwestern dominated in the possession and opportunities department. UNW finished with a 26-8 shots advantage and an 11-4 advantage in shots on goal. The shots were pretty evenly distributed as well, with 14 of the shots and six of the shots on goal coming in the first 45.
The opportunities for Northwestern started early, as five different Eagles were able to get a shot on goal in the first half.
Joey McMillin (Hugo, Minn./Centennial) converted one of his two chances into the lone goal of the game for UNW.
Aaron Hill (New Brighton, Minn./Mounds View) provided a beautiful cross into the box, where
Curtis Tinjum (Wausau, Wisc./Wausau West) was there waiting for it. Tinjum's shot was deflected by the NCU keeper, but McMillin was there to clean it up, striking it to the top left corner of the net in the 30
th minute to draw first blood. McMillin's other shot on goal came in the 44
th minute after
Gonzalo Luna Belmonte (Riverbank, Calif./Riverbank) just barely missed off the post. McMillin's rebound attempt was saved in impressive fashion by the Rams goalie.
The Rams evened the score in the 35
th minute and the 1-1 score would hold for the rest of the match. Be that as it may, both teams nearly were able to inch ahead at various points in the second half. Northwestern had chances in front of the net in the 61
st and 73
rd minutes but weren't able to convert. In the 87
th minute, a penalty was called on the Eagles in the 18-yard box, resulting in a penalty kick attempt for the Rams. With so little time on the clock, this attempt would almost surely decide the outcome of the game. Freshman goalkeeper
Kyle Dipzinski (Ionia, Mich./Ionia) dove to his left, guessing correctly, and made the heroic save to keep the score at 1-1 and earn the Eagles a draw.
The stat sheet was busy for UNW on Saturday, as
Simeon Friesen (Mounds View, Minn./Mounds View) finished with four shots and two shots on goal,
Jackson Bauer (Lake in the Hills. IL./Huntley) and
Nathan Martinez (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) each contributed three shots and one shot on goal, and McMillin had three shots and two on goal. Hill checked in with two shots, both on goal, Belmonte had two shots and one on goal, and
Troy Johnson (Killeen, Texas/Killeen) added three shots. Tinjum and
Tim DeLoye (Wausau, Wisc./Wausau West) each added a shot on goal,
Robert Moeller (Sheboygan, Wis./Sheboygan Christian) attempted two shots, while
Teddy Hall (Mendota Heights, Minn./Homeschool) and
Luis Villalobos (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) each added one shot attempt.
The Eagles will return home to Reynolds Field on Wednesday, September 27
th for a conference showdown with Martin Luther College. You can catch all the action on the Eagle Sports Network at 4:30 PM.
