Minneapolis, MN -- North Central University (NCU) Men's Soccer returned to Elliot Park Field for their second home match of the season as they squared off against the Hamline University (HU) Pipers. Hamline came into today's game with an undefeated 6-0 record, the program's best start to a season in school history. Knowing they'd have their hands full, The Rams would need an impressive showing from their young talents. Coming out aggressive to begin this match, NCU held a 2-1 lead with just over half the game through. Unfortunately, a strong second half from the Pipers would give them the 4-2 victory. 

The first half saw a plethora of fouls as the Rams racked up 8 fouls and Hamline contributed 7. Eventually, in the 29th minute, the Pipers opened up the scoring to take a 1-0 lead. Not much later, North Central Sam Saye broke through the Pipers' defense and buried his first goal of his freshman campaign to knot things at 1-1. Goalkeeper Peyton Carselowey totaled 3 saves as the teams were tied headed into the half. 

Not long into the second half, sophomore Rodrigo Burgos sent a through ball to fellow sophomore, Alvin Wlejleh, who showcased his exquisite footwork to juke the defender and score his second goal of the year. This score gave the Rams the 2-1 lead. A few defensive lapses would allow the Pipers to enter the NCU zone and cash in on two scores late in the game to take a 4-2 lead. Hamline led in the shot column with 24 total, 12 on target, and North Central had just 7 shots and 4 on target. The Pipers also gained 8 total corner kicks as opposed to just 1 from the Rams. After a hard-fought battle, the Pipers won 4-2. 

Today's box score can be found here.

Looking Ahead:

The team will take on the University of Wisconsin-Stout this Saturday at 1:00pm. That match will take place at Nelson Field in Menomonie, WI. 

All fans are encouraged to tune into the official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X) pages for updates on men's soccer and all things NCU Athletics.