Augustana 2, Sioux Falls 0

Vikings open season with non-conference win over USF
SIOUX FALLS, SD --  Augustana soccer started the 2012 season with a bang.  Two first half goals and solid defense throughout the game led to a 2-0 win Thursday night over Sioux Falls.

Katie Hurd registered the first goal of the 2012 campaign for the Vikings in the 17th minute.  Hurd weaved her way through the Cougar defense and fired a shot with her left foot just inside the 18 yard box that found a home in the lower right corner of the goal.

In the 39th minute, Augustana struck again.  Fresh off the bench, Mackenzie Trom found the net with a header from the back side to the top left of the net.  Maren Werth tallied the assist with a beautiful serve off a corner kick.

Kara Bartels, Liz Bunkers, and Amanda Wagner proved to be the iron women of the match, logging all 90 minutes of game time.

Bunkers and Wagner anchored the defense who surrendered only four shots, three on goal, and Wagner corralled them all.

Bartels and Hurd were the catalysts for the Viking offense, providing opportunities for Mackenzie Trom who blasted three shots, including her goal.

Coach Brandon Barkus now moves his career record to 52-52-12 at Augustana and the Vikings improve to 5-6-2 in season openers.

The Vikings's next match comes on Sept. 5 at Emporia State.

Courtesy:  Augustana College

USF soccer drops 2-0 decision to Augustana
SIOUX FALLS, SD -- The Sioux Falls community packed the stands of the University of Sioux Falls Soccer Field Thursday night to witness Augustana edge out the Cougars 2-0 in the first of many exciting matchups between the cross town rivals. The game had a fantastic atmosphere as the dual drew a crowd of greater than 450 fans.

USF begins the season, 0-1 and Augie moves to 1-0.

The teams were neck and neck through the opening 15 minutes play, as neither squad controlled the possession. However, a breakdown on defense by the Cougars led to an unassisted Katie Hurd goal at the 16:43 mark to send Augie up, 1-0.

The initial goal gave the Vikings momentum and they would turn up the pressure over the next 23 minutes of the half. With less than seven minutes to go in the opening period, Maren Werth served up a perfect corner kick that found the head of Mackenzie Trom, which proceeded to find the back left corner of the net.

Trom's goal gave Augie a 2-0 cushion into the half and would serve as the final score of the game.
USF showed resilience and a bit more aggressive play specifically on the defensive end in the second half, where they prevented several Augie attacks and held their own against a very good team.

"Today was a great opportunity for us to see where we are as a team," said head coach Mekonnen Afa. "We need to get better defensively, but I was happy with the way we were able to make adjustments in the second half and I'm confident we will continue to get better." For full post-game interview see the related links box.

Junior transfer Corrin Cook recorded two saves in her first start in net for the Cougars. The Sioux Falls product took her first loss of the season.

Augustana finished the game with a 10-4 shot advantage. Maria Gonzales, Melissa Daugherty and Kayci Huslig each placed a shot on goal for USF.

USF will look to bounce back Sunday, September 2 when they host Nebraska-Kearney in the first of Cougar double-header. The women kick off at 1 p.m. and will be followed by the men, who play at 3 p.m.

Courtesy:  University of Sioux Falls