<ecorded their first loss of the season in a 1-0 heartbreaker against Augsburg College last Saturday. Despite out-shooting the Auggies 9-6, the hot-gunning Knights were unable to find the back of the net for only the second time this season. While the battle seemed even in the opening minutes of the first half, the Augsburg offense scrounged a loose ball in the Knight’s defensive third and managed to barely place it by a sprawling Pete Semmer ’11 for the first and only goal of the match. Though the Knights battled back bravely and seemed to be on the verge of taking over several times, the Augsburg defense managed to clear several balls off the goal line to preserve their fragile lead. While the Knights were unable to bury the bone, senior captain Bobby Phillips provided several opportunities with his penetrating runs and tireless hustle throughout the game. Another bright spot for the Knights was the performance of freshman Andrew Thappa, who came agonizingly close to finishing on a few occasions and generally proved to be a nuisance to the Augsburg defense.
While the Augsburg game ended in frustration for the Knights, they bounced back to blank the visiting Luther Norsemen with a 2-0 victory the following Sunday. Starting the match for the Knights was Christoph Terwitte ’09, who utilized his deceptively swift speed and deft touch to terrorize the Norse defense in the opening minutes of the first half. Although the first half remained scoreless, the Knights controlled the pace of the game and threatened on several occasions with captain Joe Lindner ’09 providing the offensive spark on the wings. The second half witnessed a return to the Knight’s usual form, with goals by Brian TenHoor ’09 and Courtney Morris ’11. TenHoor’s goal came off a defensive rebound in front of the net, which he calmly drilled into the lower left corner to record his fourth goal of the campaign. Morris’s first collegiate goal also resulted from a defensive rebound, and his powerful left footed volley into the top shelf of the net provided the fans with something to write home about.
On the defensive end, Robert Carlton ’10 returned to form for his starting debut, making several key tackles and setting the pace of the game for the Knights. While the Norsemen only threatened a few times in the course of the game, strong play from senior net-minder Derek Orth and sophomore Pete Semmer allowed the Knights to keep yet another clean sheet. With the victory over Luther, the Knights remain 8th in the NSCAA national poll and look to maintain their winning form in an away match against Hamline and Wartburg College this weekend.