BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Looking for their first win within conference play, Augustana College men's soccer (3-2-3, 0-1-1) traveled to Bloomington on Wednesday to face off against Illinois Wesleyan University (5-1-2, 1-0-1). After 53 minutes of scoreless action, the Titans scored three goals in the second half to defeat Augie, 3-0.
Inside the Box Score
- Lambis Fostiropoulos put up two shots on goal for Augustana.
- Elias Banke made 10 saves, a new career-high for the freshman.
- Augie's defense came up with 10 blocked shots.
How It Happened
First Half
IWU immediately put pressure on Augie's defense with a shot towards goal less than a minute into the match. Fortunately for the Vikings, a defender was able to get a piece of it to deflect it away from goal. The Titans saw another one of their shots blocked at the 4:06 mark. Less than two minutes later, Augie generated their first shot of the game when Fostiropoulous saw his shot saved by the IWU keeper.
The Titans kept the pressure up with back-to-back shots at 7:52, but Augie blocked their first attempt and Banke made a save on the follow-up shot to keep the game scoreless. It would take 15 minutes for the next shot to come when Diego San Pedro's shot was blocked at 23:00.
Illinois Wesleyan fired off a pair of shots in the 26th minute, but the first missed to the right while the second was blocked. IWU then had another shot fail to cross the goal line at 26:38 when Banke made another save. The Titans recorded another pair of shots before the 30:00 mark was reached, but, once again, one missed the net while the other was blocked by the Vikings' defense.
After about nine minutes of defensive action, IWU got off three shots in under two; Banke saved the first two before the third was blocked. The Titans had yet another shot blocked at 41:46, and that was the final shot attempt of the half. After 45 minutes of action, the game remained scoreless at 0-0.
Second Half
Just 32 seconds into the second half, IWU took a shot that missed over the net. After four more unsuccessful shots, one of which was saved by Banke, the Titans finally broke through at 53:15, scoring the game's first goal to take a 1-0 lead. Just 40 seconds after the go-ahead goal, IWU attempted to add to their lead but had their shot blocked.
After another IWU blocked shot came at 61:55, the Titans found an insurance goal four minutes later to give them a 2-0 lead. Fostiropoulos immediately responded with a shot on goal, but it was saved by the IWU keeper.
Cameron Scupham tried to get the Vikings on the board at 68:44, but his shot was saved. Over the next 16 minutes, Banke made a trio of saves but was beaten again at 84:23 as IWU expanded their lead to 3-0. Banke made one more save before time expired, and when the clock hit 0:00 Illinois Wesleyan had a 3-0 win over the Vikings.
Up Next
The Vikings now return home for a two-game homestand starting on Saturday, Oct. 3, when they host North Park at 5 p.m.
Follow the Vikings
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Augustana men's soccer by following the team on Twitter at @augieathletics, on Facebook at facebook.com/augiemsoccer/, and on Instagram at @augiemsoccer.
