EAU CLAIRE - Maria Iaizzo (Jr. -White Bear Lake, MN/UW-Milwaukee) netted a goal just 4:19 into the UW-Eau Claire soccer team's season opener against Augsburg as the Blugolds topped the Auggies 3-1 here today at the Bollinger Fields.

The goal was Iaizzo's first as a Blugold after transferring to Eau Claire from UW-Milwaukee. The first-year forward won a free kick and found the back of the net to give Eau Claire an early advantage and send the team to a 1-0-0 mark.

Becky Sitter (Fr.-Waupaca) added to the lead in the 30th minute of the contest as she took a pass through the box from Anna Jackson (So.-Madison/West) and shot it past the Auggie goalkeeper. The points for both Sitter and Jackson were the first of their collegiate careers.

Augsburg finally got on the scoreboard at the 60:56 mark, when Aili Brom-Palkowski took a long shot from beyond the box that found the net to cut the Eau Claire lead to 2-1. Gretchen Olson (Fr.-Coon Rapids, MN) put the game out of reach in the final minute of the game, putting back a rebound from a Marcia Foltz (Jr.-Madison/Memorial) shot to give the Blugolds the 3-1 victory. Foltz earns the assist after leading Eau Claire with 28 points last season while the goal for Olson was the first of her career.

The Blugolds held the Auggies to 10 shots on goal while Eau Claire's forwards were able to tally 17 shots. Annie Scharenbroich (So.-White Bear Lake, MN/South) allowed just the one goal while making seven saves in net for the Blugolds.

Up next for the Eau Claire soccer squad is a trip to Dubuque, Iowa on Saturday when the Blugolds will square off with Loras College at 2:00 p.m. Loras posted an impressive 20-2-1 record one season ago, finishing in first place in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The team made it to the regional final in the national tournament but fell to Puget Sound 2-0 in the final.