Game Recap
With an opportunity to jump into the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) playoff picture, the Lumberjacks flew out of the gate aggressive. Northland stole the lead early in the match as they found the back of the net in the 12th minute to lead 1-0. Trailing, NCU attempted to flip the switch on the Lumberjacks, but Northland refused to take their foot off the gas. The Jacks added to their lead towards the end of the first half sending them to the break with a 2-0 lead. Coming out of halftime, the Rams appeared to be a whole new team on the offensive side of the pitch. Their constant offensive aggression paid dividends on the scoreboard as they scored three unanswered goals in just 5 total minutes of game time to take their 1st lead of the match. Stunned after a myriad of goals from the Rams, the Lumberjacks did not go away quietly. Northland quickly answered with a goal of their own just one minute later to tie the game up at 3-3. The Two battled into overtime where Northland was able to outlast the Rams and steal the victory and a UMAC playoff berth by a score of 4-3.

Season Recap
The Rams finish their 2019 season with three wins, highlighted by their big conference victory on the road over Crown on Saturday, October, 19th. NCU, led by a young core group, continued to build and grow as the season went on. Throughout the year, the Rams had some very tight matches that did not quite go their way. Of their 15 losses, 6 of those were came by just one goal.

The Rams will officially say goodbye to four seniors; Riley Loukinen, Henry Puchuela, Rodrigo De Mendoza, and Ike Lewerenz. Not only did Puchuela lead the team in goals scored, but all four exemplified what Head Coach Brian Li wants to see from his program with their leadership on, and off of the soccer field. The seniors will be missed, but the young core of goal scorers provide plenty of hope for the 2020 season and beyond for the NCU Men's Soccer program. 


Media: For further information, contact Mike Knipe at 612-343-3541 or email mjknipe@northcentral.edu.