The Gustavus Adolphus men’s soccer squad picked up their first loss of the season, falling to Wartburg College, 2-1, in overtime. Wartburg midfielder Jon Hinke pushed through the Gustie defense just 2:13 into the extra session to give the eighth-rated Knights the victory. Wartburg improves to 2-1 on the season while sixth-rated Gustavus falls to 0-1-1. Gustavus will venture to Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday, September 10 to face Nebraska Wesleyan University.
The Gusties put the first goal on the board in the 26th minute as senior forward Caleb Bousu weaved through the Wartburg defense and put a shot past Knight keeper Matt Shepard for his first goal of the season. The Knights would answer in the 77th minute as Harrison Kibombo-Lugujjo took a Scott Hill pass and injected it into the net, past Gustavus goalkeeper Trevor Brown.
The teams played a very physical game, racking up 28 total fouls and three yellow cards. Gustavus had its opportunities offensively, emerging with a 10-8 advantage on shots, but a pair of shots connected with the goalpost and another was saved by a sprawling Shepard just short of the goal.
Sunday’s loss marks the first time that Wartburg has beaten the Gusties. Gustavus now holds a 2-1-1 advantage in the all-time series. It is also only the third home loss in the past three seasons. St. Olaf turned the trick with a 1-0 double overtime win in 2003, while Bethel picked up a 1-0 victory in regulation in 2004. This was also the first Gustie loss to an Iowa Conference school since October 7, 2001 when Luther beat Gustavus 2-0 in Decorah.
Gustavus has now allowed three goals in its first two games. The Gusties gave up a total of four goals in 23 games during the 2004 season.