ROCK ISLAND – The Augustana Vikings men's soccer team fell 3-0 to the Carleton Knights in their home opener at Thorson-Lucken Field on Sunday afternoon.

The Knights leaped to an early advantage, sending a successful free-kick strike into the back of the net at 5:22 to seize a 1-0 lead. Goalkeeper Ignacio Alberola began his busy afternoon with seven saves across the next 30 minutes of action before a Carleton goal at 39:46 moved the visiting team ahead 2-0 entering the locker room.

Out of the break, Augie worked to keep the ball on the opposing side of the field, seeing their first shot of the contest fly off the foot of Carlos Fernandez at 63:43. The Knights pressed back into the Vikings defense midway through the period, hurling a successful strike into the back of the net at 71:37 to extend their lead to 3-0. Jimmie Kucaba hurled a shot toward the Carleton goal two minutes later, but it was blocked by a Knight defender. A pair of unsuccessful attempts from Augie with under eight minutes to play cemented the game's 3-0 final.

Four different Vikings tallied shots, while Alberola totaled 10 saves across 90 minutes of action.

The Vikings will return to the pitch on Wednesday, September 6 at 4:30 p.m. when they face the Knox Prairie Fire at Jorge Prats Field in Galesburg, Ill.