DUBUQUE, Iowa (blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's soccer team hit the road on Tuesday for a regional matchup against the Dubuque University Spartans. After a scoreless first half, the Blugolds kept their offensive pressure high and scored twice in the final 20 minutes to earn the 2-0 road win.
UW-Eau Claire controlled play during the first half with plenty of time in the attacking zone. UWEC earned five corners in the opening 45 minutes of play but could not find their way past the Dubuque goalkeeper. With two shots on goal from each squad, the Blugolds and Spartans were deadlocked at 0-0 at halftime.
In the second half, the Blugolds continued to control the ball and found their chances in on goal.
Nathan Donovan (Jr. – Hazel Green, Wis./Wahlert Catholic) recorded the games firs tally after cleaning up his own rebound inside the six-yard box to give UWEC a 1-0 lead in the 70
th minute.
Carter Thiesfeld (Jr. – Forest Lake, Minn.) received the lone assist on Donovan's 15
th goal of the year.
Just four minutes later, UW-Eau Claire struck again as
Will Miers (Jr. – Columbus, Minn./Centennial) slotted a pass through the 18-yard box to
Oge Enwemnwa (Fr. – Madison, Wis./Robert M. Lafollette) who one timed the ball into the top left corner to increase the UWEC lead to 2-0. Donovan also received an assist on Enwemnwa's strike.
Eau Claire increased their physicality and aggression with 11 of their 20 fouls coming in the second frame and with the added aggressiveness came bookings for both squads. With only one yellow card begin assessed to UWEC, the Dubuque Spartans played with only 10-men for the final 13 minutes of play after a red card was assessed to their midfielder. Despite the man advantage, the Blugolds were kept off the score sheet for the remainder of the contest as they rolled to a 2-0 road shutout.
Mark Belknap (Jr. – Anoka, Minn.) stopped all three of the shots he faced and is now 4-1-2 on the year.
The Blugolds (9-3-2) will enjoy the weekend off before hitting the road on Tuesday, October 17
th for a matchup against Hamline University. Kickoff from Pat Paterson Field in St. Paul, Minn. is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
