Carleton Swipes Road Win at No. 15 Augsburg
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Simon Ginet's (So./Arlington, Mass./Arlington) first goal of the year came in the 83rd minute and proved to be the difference as the Carleton College men's soccer team (7-3-2, 4-0-1 MIAC) defeated national No. 15 Augsburg College, 1-0. The victory moves the Knights into a tie atop the MIAC table.
Playing at Augsburg's Edor Nelson Field—a turf surface much smaller than the Carleton's spacious Bell Field—the Knights found it difficult to generate many truly dangerous scoring chances. The cozy confines, however, made it easier for Ginet's hustle to directly impact the outcome.
As the Auggies (8-2-1, 4-1 MIAC) tried to work the ball out of the back, Ginet attacked the central defender, taking the ball away at the top right corner of the 18-yard box. Alone on Augsburg keeper Clayton Lynch, Ginet took two touches and slotted home the eventual game winner inside the far post, underneath and out of the reach of Lynch.
The Carleton defense recorded its second shutout of the season—the other a scoreless draw against then-No. 17 Gustavus Adolphus College a week ago—and both have come against the two squads that lead the MIAC in shot attempts.
That trend played out again tonight as Augsburg claimed a 13-6 edge in shots, including a 9-2 margin before halftime. Carleton's James Neher (So./Mahtomedi, Minn./Mahtomedi) was equal to the task, recording four of his five saves prior to intermission.
The Auggies pressed hard for a late score and had five corner kicks over the final nine minutes of the match but were limited to just one total shot on all those set pieces, and that attempt was blocked before it got near the goal.
The Knights are 5-0-1 over the last two weeks and are now an amazing 39-5-4 (.854) overall in MIAC play since October 14, 2006. Tonight's victory snapped the Auggies' 17-game home unbeaten streak, dating to the 2009 season.
With only three weeks remaining in the regular season, Carleton is now tied with Gustavus Adolphus (4-1-1 MIAC) atop the conference standings, one point in front of Augsburg and Macalester College, two teams the Knights have already defeated this season.
Carleton opens a three-match homestand on Wednesday, Oct. 12 against Saint Mary's University. A video webcast of that 4 p.m. match will be available on Knights Online.
