NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College men's soccer team got off to a great start against No. 17-ranked University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire but could not slow the Blugolds after intermission. The Blugolds (5-0-2) tallied four second-half goals and handed the Knights (4-2-0) a 5-2 setback in non-conference action.
Carleton jumped out to a 1-0 lead barely a minute into the contest.
Hudson Benites sprang
Matthew Deffo for a one-touch shot into the bottom right corner. It was Deffo's team-best fourth goal of the campaign.
UW-Eau Claire leveled the match in the 16th minute. Oge Enwemnwa served a long ball into the box and Owen Backus elevated for his fourth score of the season, this on a header over the Carleton goalkeeper.
The Knights moved back in front in the 25th minute.
Ben Roman sent a corner kick to the middle of the box, and
Riley Jones headed it off the inside of the left post for his first career goal.
Carleton carried the 2-1 lead into intermission, but the visitors changed the contest with a pair of set piece scores early in the second stanza. Kyron Pope scored the first of those goals, cleaning up a rebound in the 49th minute. Less than two minutes later, Baylor Denu knocked home his own rebound following a corner kick.
Pope scored again off of a corner kick in the 58th minute, and Tavin Ferner concluded the scoring with a counter-attack score in the 80th minute.
UWEC finished with a 19-15 shot margin, but the visitors put 12 of those attempts on goal.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton returns to MIAC play and travels to Concordia College-Moorhead for an 11:00 a.m. contest on Saturday, Sept. 26.
