ROCK ISLAND – The 2022 Augustana men's soccer team endured a challenging season in the win-loss category, but will have a lot to build on as the Vikings enjoyed vast improvement throughout the season.

The Vikings began the season with a tough one-goal loss to the Simpson Storm at home. Augie's defense was on full display as they allowed five fewer goals against the Storm than they did the previous year. In their second contest of the year, Augie found the back of the net twice against Coe to help lead them to their first draw of the 2022 campaign.

Despite offensive struggles to begin the year, the Viking keepers put up impressive save performances in goal, led by Benjamin Samuelson. The Vikings recorded 57 saves through their first nine contests, the most across the last decade, with their next closest effort being 50 saves in 2017. Throughout the season, the Vikings recorded 112 total saves.

Five games into the season, Augustana saw a coaching change, with Javier Sanchez named interim for the remainder of the season. The Vikings began to gel offensively through the season's final eight games. Shots on goal began to connect down the stretch, starting in the 3-2 loss to Illinois Wesleyan, with Jimmie Kucaba and Jarrett Baumgartner breaking a seven-game scoreless streak for the Vikings. Following the bout with the Titans, the Vikings registered a score in four of their final six games to finish the season.

Leading the way for Augie in the scoring department this season was Valdemar Nihlen, sending two scores into the back of the net. Nihlen connected on two of his three shot attempts on the year, an impressive percentage for the freshman midfielder. In just their first or second year with the program, student-athletes scored all but one goal this season for the young Augie team. The lone exception to was senior and team captain Mauricio Cruz, who scored his first career goal in his final game as a Viking at No. 12 ranked North Central.

Augustana will open its 2023 season under new direction, with a schedule to be announced at a later date. 

 

2022 AUGUSTANA MEN'S SOCCER SUPERLATIVES

Viking Letter Winners: Frankie Baio, Lucas Loeoew, Tom Van Zijl, Ryan Bobrowski, Jarrett Baumgartner, Matias Bidegaray, Justin Kornas, Ricardo De Vicente, Daniele Meloni, Dejan Djenadic, Mauricio Cruz, Ben Statz, Austin Carr, Cameron Ranne, Hunter Fitzwater, Neyel Boutkhourst, Jackson Binder, Patrick Mayer, Valdemar Nihlen, Leo Krause, Jack Bohm, George Rucker, Eirik Andersen, Jake Thompson, Ethan Wheeler, Jimmie Kucaba, Bjarki Stole, Steven Zuccheri, Jacob Eisenberg, Benjamin Samuelson, Jack Edwards, Daniel Gluzkin, Lucas Teng, Julio Parra, Adam Thorsen, Niko Ragano, Jason Miller

Vikings in the record book: 
Benjamin Samuelson - 

Saves Per Game (Season): 5.14 (14 games), 6th all-time 

Save Percentage (Season): .727 (27 GA, 72 saves), 20th all-time

Saves (Season): 72 (27 GA, 72 saves), 14th all-time 

Save Percentage (Career): .672 (44 GA, 90 saves), T-14th all-time  (2021-22)

Total Saves (Career): 90 (44 GA, 90 saves), 11th all-time  (2021-22)

Goalie Minutes Played (Career): 1291, 23rd all-time  (2021-22)

Frankie Baio - 

Goalie Minutes Played (Career): 1337, 20th all-time  (2021-22)

To view statistics from the 2022 season, click here. To view the updated record book, click here.