MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris men's soccer team won its first Upper Midwest Athletic Conference game of the season, defeating the University of Northwestern 3-1 Wednesday night in St. Paul, Minn.
The Cougars improve to 3-4-2 overall and 1-2-1 in the conference, while the Eagles fall to 2-8 overall and 0-4 in the UMAC.
The game was back and forth early, with neither team recording a shot in the first 15 minutes of action. The Cougars earned a corner kick that found Angel "Bam" Perez Leon, who had the first shot of the game.
Patrick Bednarczyk followed soon after with the first shot on target, but it was saved.
Luis Mendez had a chance to put the Cougars on top in the 23rd minute after a great pass from
Jake Anargyros put him past the backline, but his shot was pushed wide. Anargyros had two shots on target in less than a minute, but the game remained scoreless. In the 30th minute,
Dutch Bullock made his first save of the contest. Anargyros had the final shot of the first half, but the game entered halftime tied 0-0.
A bad turnover in the backfield led to the opening goal for the Eagles two minutes into the second half. The Cougars would draw level seven minutes later after
Charlie Adams stole the ball and fired it off the inside of the post for his first collegiate goal. Minnesota Morris took the lead when
Azariah Zappetta chipped a ball into the box to Perez Leon, who found the back of the net. Seconds later, Perez Leon found himself one-on-one with the keeper, but his shot went over the crossbar. Anargyros had a shot from the corner of the box with 10 minutes left on the clock but could not convert. Max Kappleman sent in a free kick near midfield that bounced over the goalkeeper, but a defender cleared it off the line to prevent a goal. Perez Leon sent a great through ball to Mendez, putting him one-on-one with the keeper. Mendez was taken down in the box and converted the penalty kick to seal the game at 3-1.
Adams scored his first collegiate goal in the win, while Perez Leon and Mendez scored their second goals of the season. Zappetta recorded his first career point with an assist. The Cougars had 21 shots, with 11 on goal. Anargyros led the team with seven shots, five of which were on frame. Bullock recorded one save in the win.
The Cougars host North Central University on Saturday with a 2:30 p.m. kickoff for Homecoming.
