ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — UW-Eau Claire defeated Bethel (MN) 3-2 on Monday afternoon at Ona Orth Athletic Complex. The Blugolds scored twice in the first half and added one goal after halftime, while the Royals scored once in each half. UW-Eau Claire finished with advantages of 20-11 in shots and 11-5 in shots on goal.
The Blugolds recovered from the Royals' 13th-minute opener and took a 2-1 lead into halftime, with
Oge Enwemnwa equalizing at 15:41 off
Tate McDermott's assist and
Owen Backus scoring at 37:27 from
Tobias Volkmann. Earlier, UW-Eau Claire created the first sustained pressure of the half, putting shots from
Noah Malcook,
Ramzi Ouro and
Kyron Pope on frame and earning two corner kicks before the Royals went ahead on Nathan Hunt's goal at 13:22. The response came quickly, as Enwemnwa finished less than three minutes later and McDermott added another shot shortly after the equalizer. UWEC generated another corner at 30:22, followed with a saved Volkmann shot, and after Backus' go-ahead goal,
Charlie Mroz made two late saves to help preserve the 2-1 halftime lead.
Enwemnwa scored the Blugolds' second-half goal at 53:16, pushing the visitors in front 3-1. The Royals answered at 53:57 on Tadeo Magana's goal off Roy Kyle's assist, trimming the margin to 3-2. Earlier,
Andrew Phillips forced a save at 47:30, and UW-Eau Claire played through a physical opening stretch that included multiple fouls and an Enwemnwa yellow card. The visitors continued to press after the Royals' response, with
Luis Marquez Sedano forcing a save at 57:02, Phillips shooting high at 62:39, and a run of corner kicks and shots from Volkmann, Marquez Sedano, McDermott and
Tavin Ferner between 68:23 and 86:34. Mroz added a save on Terry Espinoza at 70:04, and the Blugolds closed out the match with the score at 3-2.
Enwemnwa scored twice on two shots on goal and recorded the game-winning goal. Backus added a goal on his only shot. McDermott tallied an assist and matched the team lead with three shots. Volkmann also recorded an assist and three shots.
UW-Eau Claire moves to 2-0-1 overall with the Royals falling to 2-1-0 overall.
Up next, the Blugolds host Edgewood College on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, at 4 p.m. at Simpson Field in Eau Claire, Wis.
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