ST. PAUL, Minn. - The University of Northwestern Men's Soccer team made its 2024 Reynolds Field debut under the lights Tuesday night in front of a great crowd. Unfortunately, the Eagles were not able to send the purple and gold faithful home with a win, as they suffered a 4-0 loss to Augsburg University.
Northwestern had chances on the Auggies' side of the field early but weren't able to capitalize. After a couple of early, impressive saves by
Michael Machuca (Rock Island, Ill./Rock Island), Augsburg was finally able to get one past the UNW keeper in the 19th minute to draw first blood. The visitors also struck in the 25th minute and carried a 2-0 advantage into the half.
Coming out of the break, Augsburg showed no signs of relenting, as it extended the lead to 3-0 just five minutes in. Another goal in the 79th brought the game to its final score of 4-0.
Jared Mojardin (Denver, Colo./Northeast Early College) continued to be the trigger man for the Northwestern offense, as he was able to get off the only shot on goal for the Eagles in the match.
Gonzalo Luna Belmonte (Riverbank, Calif./Riverbank) and
Joey McMillin (Hugo, Minn./Centennial) each fired a shot as well. On the defensive end,
Tim DeLoye (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West) and
Simeon Friesen (Mounds View, Minn./Homeschool) challenged the Auggies' offense all night while Machuca finished the evening with six saves.
The Eagles will be back at Reynolds Field on Saturday, September 7th for a date with Emmaus Bible College. The match will be part of a busy athletics day on campus at UNW and will begin at 2:00 PM. Those who aren't able to attend can catch all the action on the Eagle Sports Network, an affiliate of the brand-new UMAC Sports Network.
