SAINT PETER, Minn. – For the second consecutive match, the Gustavus men’s soccer team Saturday ended a scoreless battle in the waning moments of regulation to claim a 1-0 conference victory. Matt Gibbons (So., Minneapolis, Minn.) weaved his way through Augsburg defenders in the box and rifled a shot into the right side of the net for what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 82nd minute. Scott Heinen (So., Aurora, Ill.) was credited with the assist, his team-leading fifth of the season.
“What an awesome MIAC game. That’s our league; every game is an absolute battle,” Head Coach Tudor Flintham said. “I’ve coached in a few conferences and this is top to bottom the most challenging. We knew that Augsburg would be a massive test, and to be honest I was nervous for this one because they have some special players, are well organized and coached, and play a really creative style that’s difficult to track. It was a battle of two teams who want to play and combine, so from a coaching standpoint those are the most fun to be involved in. We felt like if we could make them defend more than us we would have a good chance of getting the result, and to be honest they beat us up for the first 20 minutes or so, and initially I thought it might be a long day. But we got a handle on the game from there, made some adjustments at halftime, and felt like we played well in the second half. I’m really proud of the guys today. It was a real team performance and I think they deserved that one. On a personal note, I think my favorite moment of the day was seeing David Jansen and his dad Helmut in the stands with big smiles on their faces. It’s good to have him back with the group”
Gustavus’s shutout victory over Augsburg keep it on top of the MIAC standings at 4-0-1 in the league and 7-1-1 overall, while the Auggies drop their first conference match, moving to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the MIAC.
The Gustie defense was on point today, allowing just two shots throughout the entire match. The two Auggie chances were dangerous, though, as the first went off the post and the second was a diving save by Anders Severson (Sr., Woodbury, Minn.). Both shots by Augsburg were in the second half as the Gusties outshot the opposition 4-0 in the first and 6-2 in the second.
Gustavus next hosts St. Scholastica in a non-conference match at 4 p.m. Tuesday.