ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Salah Aghlaf's (Casablanca, Morocco) goal in the final minute of the second overtime lifted Augustana to a 1-0 win over Illinois Wesleyan Wednesday at
Junior Salah Aghlaf launches a
bicycle kick that resulted in the
game-winning goal against Illinois
Wesleyan Wednesday at Thorson-
Lucken Field.
Thorson-Lucken Field. Coach
Mick Regan's club improved to 4-7 on the season and 2-2 in the CCIW, while the Titans dropped to 8-4 overall and 1-3 in the conference.
With time winding down in the second extra session, Illinois Wesleyan was called for a foul in its offensive end. Junior
Daniel Artman (Schaumburg HS, Hanover Park, Ill.) placed his long free kick in front of Aghlaf near the top of the 18 and the Viking junior executed a perfect bicycle kick over the head of IWU keeper Alex Ruckstaetter and into the net. The goal was Aghlaf's team-leading second of the season, while Artman earned his first assist.
The Titans outshot Augustana 7-1 in the first half, but solid play from keeper
Jeremy Klaber (Stevenson HS, Buffalo Grove, Ill.) kept them off the board. A key sequence occurred in the 14th minute, when Klaber tuned away consecutive point blank shots by Doug Ballard and Justin Yaeger. IWU narrowly missed taking the lead again in the final minute of the half when Orion Marty's blast from 30 yards hit the crossbar.
In the 54th minute, Klaber was shaken up and had the leave the match. Senior
Jeff Bell (Pleasant Valley HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) came on in relief and played the final 55 minutes. The Titans continued to put the pressure on, outshooting the Vikings 8-2 in the second half and 4-1 in the two overtime periods, including 3-1 in the second.
Klaber recorded five saves before exiting and Bell added three. Ruckstaetter logged his only save in the 30th minute on a shot by freshman
Brandon Knapp (Batavia HS, Batavia, Ill.).
Illinois Wesleyan finished with a 19-4 advantage in shots and put eight tries on frame to two for Augustana. Corners were 7-2 in favor of IWU. The Vikings committed 24 fouls to 13 for the visitors in a physical match that featured eight yellow cards and a red card. Each side had a player ejected.
On Saturday, October 13, Regan's bunch will be in Decatur, Illinois to face Millikin in a match scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
