EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The start to the season has been a tough one for the Yellowjacket men's soccer team. Head coach
Joe Mooney typically has not shied away from scheduling some of the toughest teams in the region, and this season is no exception, as the Yellowjackets have faced multiple nationally ranked teams in the season's first two weeks.
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One of those teams, UW-Eau Claire, was Saturday's opponent. The Blugolds entered Saturday ranked No. 17 in the nation, providing the Yellowjackets with their stiffest test to date.
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The Blugolds scored three times in the first half Saturday on the way to a 4-1 win over the Yellowjackets at Simpson Field.
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With the loss, the Yellowjackets fall to 1-2-2 on the season.
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The Yellowjackets avoided the shutout when
Philipp Jobst (Pulheim, Germany/Deutsche Schule Shanghai Pudong) scored with under 10 minutes to play in the match.
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Match Notes
- Eau Claire's Nathan Donovan was a thorn in the side of the Yellowjackets Saturday. He opened the scoring in the 11th minute and added his second goal in the 17th minute. He completed the hat trick in the 34th minute to make it 3-0, a score Eau Claire would take into halftime.
- Just over two minutes into the second half Owen Backus scored for Eau Claire, on an assist from Donovan, to make it 4-0.
- Jobst's goal was the first goal of his collegiate career.
- Eau Claire attempted 14 shots compared to 11 for the Yellowjackets.
- Shots on goal were 10-7 Eau Claire.
- Freddy Watson (Wendover, England/Berkshire College of Agriculture) had two shots on goal to lead the Yellowjackets.
- The teams combined for 19 fouls, but no cards were assessed.
- Alex Paredes (Mequon, Wis./Homestead) was the starting goalkeeper for the Yellowjackets and allowed four goals on nine shots in 79:09 of play.
- Patrick Sessions (Brighton, England/Brighton, Hove & Sussex Sixth Form College) played the final 10:51 of the match and didn't see any shots.
The Yellowjackets will be back home Wednesday, Sept. 18 when they open Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play against North Central. The opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the NBC Spartan Sports Complex.
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