ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. - The University of Northwestern Men's Soccer Team traveled an hour southwest to face the Crown College Polars on Wednesday night. In their second-to-last game of the season, the Eagles found some offensive momentum, scoring three times. Unfortunately, Crown scored three unanswered goals, including two in the final three minutes, to steal a 4-3 win over Northwestern.
Crown struck first in the 13th minute, but UNW responded just three minutes later. Max Plaza (New Brighton, Minn./St. Anthony Village) was taken down in the box, earning a penalty kick for the Eagles. Josiah Mezey (Monument, Colo./Village) confidently stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong direction, placing the ball in the bottom-left corner to even the score.
Through the opening 45 minutes, UNW recorded seven shots compared to just two for the Polars. Despite the shot advantage, the score remained tied at 1-1 heading into halftime.
Coming out of the break, the Eagles took their first lead of the game in the 59th minute. Sebastian Reyes (Hawthorne, Calif./Da Vinci Design) delivered a corner kick that was mishandled by the keeper and cleared off the line by a defender. The ball fell back into the box, where Braeden Morrow (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) was ready to capitalize, netting his second goal of the season.
Northwestern extended its lead with a third straight goal from Levi Harmes (Richfield, Minn./Homeschool). After receiving a pass from Morrow near midfield, Harmes dribbled up the sideline before chipping the keeper to give the Eagles a 3-1 advantage.
Crown mounted a late comeback, scoring three times over the final 11 minutes. The Polars found the equalizer and then the game-winner in the final three minutes, turning a two-goal deficit into a 4-3 victory.
Harmes led Northwestern with five shots, putting three on target while scoring a goal. Mezey also scored and recorded two shots, while Morrow finished with two shots on target and a goal. Daniel DeWalt (Nathrop, Colo./Buena Vista) put both of his shots on target, and Logan Hutzenbiler (Billings, Mont./Billings Central Catholic) finished with four saves over 90 minutes.
Northwestern will finish its season on Saturday at Cougar Field against the University of Minnesota Morris at 1:00 PM on October 31.
