MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — A week after tying Hamline 3-3 on the road, the Gustavus men's soccer team put up another draw in the Twin Cities, battling Augsburg to a 0-0 deadlock in Minneapolis.
The Gusties and Auggies played a quiet first half, with each team putting a pair of shots on goal, but were unable to beat the respective goalkeepers, entering halftime tied at 0-0.
Augsburg came out swinging in the second half, tallying a pair of dangerous chances within the first seven minutes of play after the break. Augsburg's Spencer Enright nearly broke the shutout, tipping a deflection off the crossbar and over the head of Gustie keeper
Wesley Sanders.
Brian Brown responded for the Gusties with an offensive burst of his own, sending back-to-back crosses through the box, just out of reach of his teammates. Brown ignited the Gustie offense, who tallied four shots on goal to the Auggies' one in the second half.
Augsburg forced Gustavus to defend heavily in the last few minutes of play, sending a free kick from outside the box barely to the left of the goal, and another just high. The two teams played a physical game, with a total of 27 fouls called and five yellow cards distributed.
"Augsburg's pitch is one of the toughest places to go to in the region," said Head Coach
Tudor Flintham. "They are a really good team and they use that surface incredibly well and to their own advantage. It's an old adage, but it was a game of two halves. I thought we were really good in the first half. We did a ton of things we really liked and generated some quality looks, but just couldn't quite convert. Coming out of the first half we felt it was a matter of time before we scored, as long as we kept pushing.
"The second half was pretty even and back-and-forth. They had a good amount of the ball with their CBs and keeper, but we felt comfortable in those moments and we generated the better chances in the early stages from those pressure traps. Ultimately, we didn't generate enough quality chances in the second half, and they certainly had a couple of scary chances right at the death. We worked hard for each other and the unity within the group is high. We can build from this for sure. It's no secret that we are pretty banged up and missing some big players. Hopefully, we will heal soon and be back to full strength. In the meantime, it's an opportunity for someone else and time for someone to step up and add that moment which unlocks the game."
Franklin Schwendimann led the Gusties with two shots on goal, while
Darren Chukel,
Finn Dowling,
Otis Anderson, and
Leo Runestad accounted for the other Gustie attempts. Sanders finished with three saves to post the clean sheet.
The Gusties, now 3-1-4 and 1-1-2 in conference play, prepare for a three-game homestead next week, hosting Saint Mary's Tuesday, Saint John's Friday, and UW-Whitewater Sunday.
