Nov. 16, 2008

Courtesy of Augsburg

REDLANDS, Calif. (11/16/08) -- D.J. Wendell (JR, Princeton, Minn./Charles M. Russell (Mont.) HS) scored from Van Hong (SO, St. Louis Park, Minn.) on a crossing shot in the 63rd minute, as the Augsburg College men's soccer team advanced to the sectionals of the NCAA Division III national tournament with a 1-0 victory over host Redlands College (Calif.) in a second-round game on Sunday afternoon at Farquhar Field.

Augsburg (12-3-7 overall) will advance to face Loras (Iowa, 18-4-1 overall) in the sectionals on either Friday (11/21) or Saturday (11/22) at a site to be determined. The sectional site will also include Ohio Northern (19-5-1) and Hobart (N.Y., 18-0-3), which will meet in the other third-round game. The winners of the two third-round games will meet on either Saturday or Sunday (11/23) in the sectional final, with the winner earning a trip to the national semifinals on Dec. 5 in Greensboro, N.C.

Augsburg, in its first-ever appearance in the national tournament, will carry a seven-game unbeaten streak (4-0-3) into the third round. Redlands (16-5-2 overall) was one of six teams to earn first-round byes in the national tournament, but saw its 17-game unbeaten streak (15-0-2) snapped by the Auggies.

The Bulldogs outshot the Auggies by a 21-8 margin in the game, including a 13-3 advantage in the second half, and had six corner kicks (all in the second half) to Augsburg's two. But Augsburg goalkeeper Pascaul Venter (JR, Rochester, Minn./John Marshall HS) came up with five saves, including a save in the 74th minute and another on a header in the 86th minute. Venter claimed his ninth shutout of the season with the win and his school-record 22nd shutout of his career.