Looking to build off its 3-1 homecoming victory over Saint Mary’s University Saturday, the Bethel University Men’s soccer team took on the Augsburg University Auggies Tuesday afternoon at the Ona Orth Athletic Complex. The Royals came into the match 3-3 in MIAC play and holding on to fourth place in the conference.
Coming into Tuesday’s match, the Auggies sat at 2-0-3. Winning was necessary in order for them to keep pace in the conference standings and inch closer to the final home playoff spot.
The Royals came out firing with an early scoring opportunity from junior forward Jordan Ross, who found his way into the box and narrowly missed wide of the net two minutes into play. From there the Royals peppered the Auggies with shot after shot before Ross got his chance once again and didn’t miss. He placed a right-footed shot into the back of the net just nine minutes into the first half for a 1-0 Bethel lead.
Later in the first half, an ill-advised foul by Auggie midfielder Zechariah Sherian inside the box led to a Ryan Swanda penalty kick. The junior captain promptly found the back of the net for his second goal of the year and extended the Royals’ lead to 2-0.
After tallying two goals on Saturday against Saint Mary’s, graduate forward Jordan Oberholtzer continued his solid stretch of play. First taking advantage of a blocked Nathan Hunt shot, Oberholtzer grabbed the rebound and scored the Royals’ third goal of the half at the 24’. Oberholtzer then proceeded to open the second half with another goal just two minutes in to give Bethel a commanding 4-0 lead.
Jack Hanson and Carter Sheard tacked on two more goals in the 81’ and 83’ to give the Royals a dominant 6-0 victory over the Auggies –a statement game that placed the Royals firmly into third place in the MIAC standings with three conference matchups remaining.
The next two matchups for the Royals are on the road against bottom-dwelling Saint John’s University and Concordia College squads, who are currently eighth and tenth in the MIAC, respectively. The key matchup to look out for in the coming weeks is the Oct. 26 matchup with second-place Gustavus Adolphus College at Ona Orth.
The Gusties have yet to lose a conference match holding a 5-0-1 conference record at the moment, with matchups against Concordia and St. Olaf College on the horizon.
With the win, the Royals’ overall record now sits at 8-6 overall and 4-3 in conference. A return to the MIAC playoffs for the first time since 2022 and a home playoff game are in reach for the Royals if they can finish strong.
