ORANGE CITY, Iowa - The 25th-ranked Ashford University men's soccer team ran into a feisty Northwestern College squad in its regular-season opener on Friday afternoon and came away with a 1-1 tie to open the NWC/Dordt Pizza Ranch Classic.
After flattening the University of Dubuque less than two days ago, the Saints (0-0-1, 0-0-0 MCC) probably came out a little more sluggish than they would have preferred against the Red Raiders (0-0-1, 0-0-0 GPAC), a preseason pick to finish ninth within the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
"It's early in the season, but we need to be sharper on offense and convert some of our chances," AU Head Coach Richard Markham said. "We need our players to step up and bounce back tomorrow (against Dordt). They haven't faced adversity in a long time so their response will be key."
Junior midfielder Rafael
Machado of Sao Paulo, Brazil, accounted for the Saints' lone score and salvaged
the tie following a penalty kick at the 74:11 mark in the second half.
Machado received the chance for the kick after fellow Brazilian Eduardo Cruz, also of Sao Paulo, drew a foul inside the box.
Machado scored six goals and had seven assists in 2009.
Northwestern got on the board first in the second half after a 68th-minute goal by Pedro Ruiz. That marked the last regular season goal the Saints had given up since Oct. 14, 2009, against William Penn University, a span of nearly five full games.
Ashford had a considerable advantage in the shot department, outfiring the Red Raiders, 18-6.
Machado and senior forward Vedran Ilic of Rockford, Ill., each had three shots on goal and junior midfielder Kori Phillips of Pittsburgh, Pa., had two.
Northwestern goalkeeper Jeff Lanser was credited with seven saves, snuffing out the Saints' opportunities near the net. But AU First-Team All-MCC senior goalie Nick Roman of Belvidere, Ill., was equally as effective, going the full 110 minutes.
The Saints travel to Dordt College tomorrow afternoon for a 4 p.m. match. Live audio of the game is available through Dordt's athletic website, www.dordt.edu/athletics/.
