Bethany Men's Soccer Featured as Game of the Week

Article Credit: Sara Eisenhauer, UMAC Assistant Commissioner

ST. PAUL, Minn.---Last fall, the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) saw a shake up in the men's soccer postseason as perennial postseason contender University of Northwestern missed the conference tournament and Bethany Lutheran College won as the No. 5 seed to move on to the semifinal round.
 
Heading into the 2016 season, the Eagles and Vikings both looked as if they would again be in the mix for final postseason spots. With the two teams meeting this weekend in St. Paul, the matchup has been selected as the  "UMAC Game of the Week."
 
A year ago, the Vikings took the regular season contest in shutout fashion with a 2-0 decision over the Eagles in Mankato, Minnesota. This season, the Eagles will host the Vikings and hope to turn the tables and increase their odds of making the tournament.
 
On the opening weekend of October, Bethany Lutheran and Northwestern played to a scoreless tie through the opening 76 minutes until Jorge Perez was able to break through to give the Vikings a lead before Kenny Johnson scored 11 minutes later to seal the win – a win that helped the Vikings snag a spot in the postseason.
 
Statistically, the Eagles and Vikings were nearly identical when it came to team numbers in conference play. Northwestern tallied 12 goals against UMAC squads, while Bethany Lutheran was just behind with 11. The Eagles were also fourth in goals against average (GAA) at 1.96 and the Vikings were fifth at 2.06 GAA.
 
Though the two teams seemed poised for similar positioning heading into the season, the Vikings have struggled to get going this season – they have yet to post a win and have tallied just one goal in eight games played. In conference play, all three of the Vikings' losses have come to playoff teams from a year ago.
 
The Eagles also had a slow start going winless through their first five competitions. However, they have won three straight games including thrilling wins over Martin Luther College and Crown College to start 2-1 against conference teams.
 
Heading into the season it seemed Northwestern would be poised to fight its way back in the postseason with the return of veteran experience and the loss of only four starters. The Eagles welcomed back two-time All-UMAC First Team pick Matthew McCann to lead the offense along with Second Team pick Eric Fast. Fellow All-UMAC selection Turner Main also brought stability in goal after a strong sophomore campaign in goal.
 
The Vikings entered 2016 in a much tougher situation losing six starters from its playoff roster including All-UMAC Second Team awardee Perez who led the team with 16 points. They did return two sophomores in Kenneth Johnson and Jose Montejo who saw significant playing time as rookies as well as Honorable Mention Matt Bitter in goal.
 
At the beginning of the 2016 season, the Eagles were selected fourth in the UMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 45 points and just three points out of third. The Vikings were picked fifth with 32 points.
 

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The Match Up
Though the Eagles came up empty-handed in their first five games, that isn't to say it didn't come without a fight. The Eagles opened the season with a 1-1 tie against the defending Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) champion St. Olaf before falling in double overtime to MIAC powerhouse University of St. Thomas.
 
The Vikings may have started off the season without a win, but their most recently losses include just a two-goal loss to a North Central University team that they went 1-1 with a year ago. They also faced the No. 2 and No. 3 finishers in the University of Wisconsin-Superior and the University of Minnesota Morris last week.
 
In overall games this season, Northwestern ranks third in scoring average (1.625 goals per game) and fourth in save percentage (.754).
 

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Need to Know – Northwestern
- Three returners were awarded 2015 UMAC All-Conference honors
- Northwestern enters the contest on a three-game winning streak
- The Eagles have gone 1-1-1 against MIAC teams this season with the loss coming in overtime
- Three times this season the Eagles have played overtime games and have finished 1-1-1
 
Need to Know – Bethany Lutheran
- In 2015, the Bethany men's soccer team won their first playoff game in program history.
- In 2015, the Vikings made the postseason after missing the 2014 playoffs.
- Against MLC a year ago, Bethany scored a season high of four goals in the victory over the Knights.
 
Who to Watch – Northwestern
Chris Cleope has been the Eagles' top offensive weapon as the senior has tallied 11 points – which ranks third among UMAC players – in overall games thanks to his five assists. His four assists in conference games are also tied for the most among all players. Newcomer Derrick Aminga has contributed in overall games with six points, while Mateusz Gralinski and Nathan Olin each have two goals in conference play. Main has started all eight games for the Eagles at keeper posting a 1.98 GAA in overall games. Aminga and Main have both earned UMAC Player of the Week honors as well.
 
Who to Watch – Bethany Lutheran
Scoring has been scarce for the Vikings this season, but several players have shown potential to break through. Johnson owns the team's lone goal with seven shots which rank second on the team. Jonathan Sehloff leads the team with eight shots, while Samuel Duran has seven. Meles Abraha recorded the lone assist on the team's goal. Defensively, Bitter has played in all eight games for the Vikings posting the team's top GAA (3.72). He has also made 32 saves in UMAC contests which ranks second among all goalies.
 

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The Basics
The conference matchup between Northwestern and Bethany Lutheran is set for this Saturday, Oct. 1 with first kick scheduled for 4:15 p.m. The contest will take place on the Northwestern campus in St. Paul, Minnesota.
 
The "Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Game of the Week" is a feature that takes place each week throughout the conference portion of the season with one contest being selected and highlighted as the "UMAC Game of the Week."
 

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2016-17 UMAC Game of the Week Archives