MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Northwestern Men's Soccer team scored three goals in the first 15 minutes of their must-win, Saturday conference bout against the University of Minnesota Morris Cougars. With continued offensive pressure, the game finished 4-0. Northwestern remains 4
th in the UMAC and secured the final playoff berth with this win.
Northwestern quickly attacked any gap they could find in the start of the game. If the Eagles were given an inch, they were able to take it the full mile with controlled team play. In just the 2
nd minute, the Cougars' keeper was tested by
Garrett Miers' (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) shot. Off the goal kick, four Eagle players suffocated the ball around midfield and forced the giveaway. The ball landed with Miers who one-touch passed to
Joey McMillin (Hugo, Minn./Centennial). McMillin calmly took several touches on his way towards the goal, and during his attack into the box, he lost his two defenders and rocketed a shot through two more Cougar defenders and past the goal keeper into the bottom left corner for the opening goal.
Only four minutes after the opening goal, the Eagles broke through for their second goal on the day. Thanks to the aggressive pressure from
Aaron Hill (New Brighton, Minn./Mounds View) and Miers, the Cougars retreat was taken away in a dangerous spot. The Morris goalie moved out of position to pass to his fellow defender in the corner of the pitch. As the defender attempted to clear the ball, Hill got a touch on the pass, allowing McMillin to intercept it at the top corner of the penalty box. The net was open since the keeper was still off his goal-line, but McMillin took a second to scan the field. He unselfishly placed a perfect pass to the left foot of a wide-open
Jared Mojardin (Denver, Colo./Northeast Early College) on the opposite side of the box.
Six minutes after Mojardin's goal,
Curtis Tinjum (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West) picked up a Morris player near midfield and turned him into Hill, who stole the ball and quickly passed the ball up to Miers. Once Miers controlled the pass, he took a shot from almost 25 yards out. Miers placed his shot in the top netting, just out reach of the goalie's glove, scoring the third and final goal of the first half.
Morris made some defensive adjustments for the second half, slowing Northwestern's attack. UNW took only 6 shots in the final half compared to their 19 shot attempts from the first 45 minutes. In the 84
th minute,
Gonzalo Luna Belmonte (Riverbank, Calif./Riverbank) started the counter attack for the Eagles. Luna Belmonte passed in front of
Luis Villalobos (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North). Villalobos raced with a defender and slid to try and win the ball. With a perfectly timed tackle, he stripped the ball from the Cougars and
Alejandro Alfaro (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta) picked it up. Alfaro was taken down in the 18-yard box, and the Eagles were then awarded a penalty kick. The senior, Alfaro, confidently took the penalty for Northwestern and buried the kick bringing the score to 4-0.
With a total of 25 shots, the Eagles efficiently placed 14 shots on target. Mojardin led Northwestern with 4 shot attempts and 2 on goal to go along with the second goal of his career. Miers and
Simeon Friesen (Mounds View, Minn./Homeschool) both added 3 shots, while Miers also tallied an assist, a goal and an additional shot on target. Alfaro took 2 shots and netted his first goal of the season. Hill,
Tim DeLoye (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West),
Troy Johnson (Killeen, Texas/Killeen), and Luna Belmonte also each notched 2 shots respectively. McMillin had a great day on the field in his 4th start of the season with his first goal, and assist of the year. Due to the strong defensive effort of the Eagles,
Michael Machuca (Rock Island, Ill./Rock Island) faced and saved only one shot on goal.
The Eagles will finally return home for Senior Night next week after four road games. They play Martin Luther on Wednesday at 4:30 PM.
