EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's soccer team dropped a physical contest to UW-Whitewater 3-2 on Friday at Simpson Field. The Blugolds overturned an early deficit, but ultimately fell after a pair of second-half goals for the Warhawks.
UW-Whitewater got out to a 1-0 lead by scoring off a header in the 27th minute. But the Blugolds answered with a flurry to end the first half.
Nathan Donovan (Jr. - Hazel Green, Wis./Wahlert Catholic) converted a penalty kick in the 43rd minute to level the score, and
Oge Enwemnwa (Fr. - Madison, Wis./La Follette) put UW-Eau Claire ahead with his first career goal in the 44th minute. It came off an assist by
Jacob Sampson (Jr. - McFarland, Wis.), who provided a long throw-in, and Donovan, who headed the ball on to Enwemnwa.
The Warhawks scored shortly out of halftime, making it a 2-2 game in the 47th minute. They scored the winner from long range in the 71st minute. The Blugolds pushed for a late equalizer, but ultimately ran out of time.
UW-Eau Claire out-shot UW-Whitewater 24-9 in total and 13-6 in shots on target. The Blugolds held a 13-3 advantage in corner kicks. The match featured 23 total fouls and four yellow cards.
The Blugolds will look to bounce back with a road game at Dubuque on Tuesday, Oct. 10. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.
