ST. PAUL, Minn. --- Linfield men's soccer got the season started on the road, falling 3-0 in the opener to the Macalester Scots.
Facing a pair of strong teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the 'Cats looked to get quality reps ahead of the Northwest Conference season. Both Macalester and Augsburg faced off in last season's MIAC tournament, with Augsburg edging out Macalester by one.
Macalester fired the first shot in the game at the five-minute mark, earning goalkeeper
Jacob Toves an early save. Toves and the Linfield back line remained busy, defending against six shots over a span of 14-minutes. The last of the Scots attempts snuck past the reach of Toves, putting the hosts up 1-0.
The 'Cats answered back shortly after, as
Jaren Nishikawa recorded the first shot for Linfield, but was stopped by the Mac keeper. As the defense settled in for the remainder of the half, the offense began to apply the pressure.
Ross Vargo, Jamis Gonzales, and
Evan Stafford gave their best attempts late in the half, but were unsuccessful.
In the final half, the offensive momentum could not carry over past the break, as Macalester got back to work by controlling the possession. In the 70
th minute, the Scots added an insurance goal after a deflection, taking a 2-0 lead. Seven-minutes later, Macalester added another goal, making it a 3-0 cushion.
Stafford and
Sam Haynes did their best to try to end the shutout in the closing minutes, but the Scots keeper made a quality save to hold the team's clean sheet. Macalester spoiled the 'Cats season opener, 3-0.
Stafford led the way in shots, coming off the bench to record two of the 'Cats six total attempts; three of the Linfield attempts were on-target but failed to get past the goalkeepers. Toves faced all 11 of Macalester's shots, making three saves, and
Don Moss picked up a yellow card on the way.
Linfield looks to rebound on Sunday in the other twin city, visiting the Augsburg Auggies to wrap up the non-conference road trip.
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