GALESBURG, Ill. — UW-Eau Claire defeated Knox College 4-0 on Wednesday at Jorge Prats Field. The Blugolds finished with advantages of 23-9 in shots and 13-4 in shots on goal, including 15 shots after halftime. UWEC scored once in the first half and three times in the second while
Charlie Mroz and
Payton Douglas each made two saves in the shutout.
The Blugolds opened the scoring at 7:13 when
Baylor Denu finished off an assist from
Luis Marquez Sedano for a 1-0 lead. The Blugolds had already created early pressure with two corner kicks and an
Owen Backus shot saved by Diogo Pereira before Denu's goal, then added another corner and a
Noah Malcook shot on goal by the 10:07 mark. Knox answered with two shots on frame in a short span, but Mroz saved both before UW-Eau Claire pushed forward again with an
Elijah Post shot, corner kicks at 18:11 and 23:18, and a Marquez Sedano attempt wide left. The Blugolds added chances later in the first half from
Ashton Johnston and
Brady Stamp, and despite a late Knox shot in the final seconds, the Blugolds went into halftime ahead 1-0.
UW-Eau Claire added three second-half goals and closed out a 4-0 win over Knox. Earlier in the half,
Ramzi Ouro, Backus,
Tate McDermott and Post all generated attempts before Marquez Sedano scored in the 62nd minute off a Backus assist to make it 2-0. Thomas Slater followed in the 64th minute from Marquez Sedano, and the Blugolds continued to create chances around a pair of Knox shots that Douglas saved.
Oge Enwemnwa finished the scoring in the 78th minute, assisted by Alek LaRoi and
Tavin Ferner, before UWEC added late pressure with saves forced by Stamp, Ferner and
Henry Trettin.
Marquez Sedano scored once, added two assists and finished with a team-high four points. Denu recorded the game-winning goal and put one of his two shots on frame. Enwemnwa scored on his only shot attempt. Thomas Slater also converted his lone shot into a goal. Mroz made two saves in 70 minutes while Douglas added a pair of saves in the final 20 minutes of action.
The Blugolds advance to 6-3-5 overall and are 0-1-2 in WIAC play. Knox falls to 3-7-4 overall and 2-3-2 in the MWC.
Up next, the Blugolds travel to Menomonie, Wis., to face WIAC foe UW-Stout Polytechnic on Saturday, Oct. 24. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Nelson Field.
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