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The Augsburg men's soccer team has some friends in high places in the soccer world.
Fox Soccer Channel's Jeremy St. Louis gave a shout-out to the Auggies in his FSC blog in November, just before the Auggies traveled to face Loras (Iowa) in the second round of the NCAA Division III national playoffs:
"The NCAA College Soccer season is winding down – and while everyone is focused on what’s going on in Division I, I want to send out some kudos to a good friend of mine in Division III. Greg Holker is the coach of the Augsburg College Auggies and for the first time in the school’s history, Holker has taken the team into the NCAA tournament! Sure, it’s not a unique story but having come to know Greg, I know it wasn’t easy. He took a program with a horrid track record and has turned them into a winner. He’s one of the most dedicated coaches I know and no matter how the season ends for the Auggies, they have every reason to be proud of themselves. They play Loras College in Dubuque, IA this weekend – should be a good game!"
This is the same Jeremy St. Louis that gave Augsburg kudos on the air last year, when coach Greg Holker sent Jeremy an Augsburg soccer scarf.
7:05 p.m. -- Welcome to our first-ever soccer live blog! We are in the Rock Bowl press box on the campus of Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, for Augsburg's NCAA Division III men's soccer sectional game between Augsburg and Loras. The winner will advance to face Ohio Northern (20-5-1), who beat Hobart (N.Y., 18-1-3) 2-1 in the first game tonight. ONU scored twice in a 15-minute span early in the second half, and held off a strong comeback by Hobart to advance to Sunday's sectional final.
Like everywhere in the Midwest this weekend, it's COLD! The Weather Channel says it's 32 degrees here in Dubuque, with a windchill of 26 (at least it's not too windy!). The Rock Bowl is a unique stadium ... it's literally what it's named as, a stadium cut into a rock bowl in a little valley between hills on the upper end of Dubuque, a city on the mighty Mississippi River. It's a FieldTurf surface, a lot like Augsburg's Edor Nelson Field's SprinTurf surface, except it's several yards wider than the Augsburg stadium. It may be like the wide field Augsburg faces when it plays at Gustavus ... but Augsburg did claim a win at Gustavus in the MIAC playoffs this year, so hopefully that trend will continue tonight.
Given the wintry conditions, the crowd is a little small, but there is still a hearty contingent of Auggie supporters here, both parents and alumni, bundled up and sitting right below us near the center of the field. There was a small reception sponsored by the Augsburg Alumni and Consitutent Relations department in the student center here before the game.
Looks like it will be a 7:40 p.m., or so start time ... watch the live video online and come back here periodically for some updates in print. Hopefully, it's going to be a great game!
8:10 p.m. -- About 20 minutes to go in the first half ... Both teams have had a couple of good chances. Five minutes in, Loras had a corner kick that came in on one bounce to Nate Minkel, right in front of the net, but his header just went over the crossbar. A minute later, Augsburg's D.J. Wendell played a nice sprint deep into Loras territory and earned a corner kick, but the Auggies couldn't convert. Nine minutes in, Augsburg's Alex Hildebrandt had a great chance on a header off a corner kick in front, but his header went high.
Goalkeeper Pascaul Venter made a great stop on a cross with 34 minutes left in the first half. With 24 minutes left, a shot by Van Hong went wide.
The game has been a good defensive struggle ... Augsburg has been known for its defense, giving up just 11 goals so far this season, and the Auggie backs have put some solid pressure on the Loras 3-5-2 alignment. Weather conditions don't seem to be a major factor. Yes, it's cold, but the guys seem to be used to it.
OH, WOW ... 18:45 left ... Augsburg had a great chance on a corner kick. The goalkeeper went forward and left the goal a bit exposed, and an Auggie header hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced back away from the goal. Best chance of the game so far. A minute later, Augsburg has another chance on a counter-attack, but a cross goes just wide.
8:25 p.m. ... 10 minutes left in the first half ... James See is incredible. With 14 minutes left, he gets fouled and goes down, but he gets back up after a short stoppage. A minute later, he nearly puts the Auggies on the scoreboard on a terrific shot, but it misses high. Coach Greg Holker always has compliments for See as one of the best players in the entire conference, and his play tonight has been exemplary so far.
A few minutes later, subsitute defender Simon Rekkebo does a great job of stopping a Loras chance inside the penalty box, with some nifty footwork to jar the ball from the Loras forward.
In the last couple minutes, Augsburg has been whistled twice for offsides. Augsburg has started to take more control of possession, though it has gone back and forth between these two talented teams ... as you'd expect from a playoff game this deep into the tournament.
8:30 p.m. -- HALFTIME -- 0-0.
In the last half-hour of play, Augsburg has definitely dominated the scoring chances. Stats show six shots for Augsburg to one for Loras ... none on-goal as of yet. With three minutes left in the half, Peter Osborn served a nice free kick from 30 yards out into the box, and Marcus Elmerskog missed high on a shot on the loose ball. In the final minute, Lucas Ingram had a corner kick from 40 yards out which was smothered by Loras goalkeeper Nate DuBois. And in the closing seconds, goalkeeper Pascaul Venter made a nice stop on a Loras cross.
The game has been physical -- Loras has eight fouls, while Augsburg has six -- but not out of control. Both teams are showing good poise in their possessions. Augsburg has made some nice passes and has put together some solid counterattacks.
The first game tonight, between Hobart (N.Y.) and Ohio Northern, was also tied 0-0 at halftime, and ONU scored twice in the first 21 minutes of the second half to gain a 2-1 win ... will we see the same offensive fireworks in this game? Stay tuned -- it's going to be a good one!
8:48 p.m. -- GOAL!!!! AUGSBURG 1-0! (43:37 remaining in second half)
A minute into the second half, Augsburg's Marcus Elmerskog was fouled on a drive from 30 yards out, drawing a free kick. From the right side about 30 yards out, Andrew Seidel made a perfect service across the box to the left, and fittingly, Elmerskog finished it, diving for a shot past the Loras goalkeeper and into the net. Auggies ahead on the Norwegian's second goal of the year.
9:15 p.m. -- 20 minutes left, Augsburg leading 1-0
As a lot of soccer teams do when they get a goal in a close game, Augsburg's defense has collapsed, with five defenders back (again, James See has made a terrific adjustment to directing the defense from his center-mid position). The whole defense has played great so far. Even so, Augsburg has had some decent counter-attacks, but the Loras defense has also played well.
Loras has had a couple of huge chances in the past few minutes. With 27 minutes left, a Loras header was saved by Venter, and five minutes later, Loras had one of their best chances to score, as a shot was punched out in a scrum by Venter, and the resulting rebound was shot high over the crossbar.
9:23 p.m. -- GOAL -- Augsburg 1, Loras 1. (10 minutes left in second half)
Loras has had a lot of chances in the last few minutes, and they finally cashed one in. Loras had four shots on a scramble -- a shot by Sean Crosby deflected off the crossbar, two shots were blocked, and Justin McCord finally converted for the Duhawks, putting a shot from left to right across the crease, bouncing off the far post and into the net.
A brand new ballgame. Loras has had the momentum lately, but it may be time for an Augsburg comeback ...
9:35 p.m. -- END OF REGULATION -- Augsburg 1, Loras 1 -- We're going to overtime!
After the Loras goal, the Duhawks had another chance to score, but Venter made a great stop on a three-way pass play in the box. Augsburg has tried to counterattack, but was whistled for offsides three times. On a free kick with five minutes left, Augsburg had a chance to score on a scramble in the box, but a shot by Andrew Seidel on the left side of the six-yard box was blocked.
Time for overtime ... Augsburg has played nine overtime games this year, with a 1-1-7 record. Two of those seven ties have been playoff shootouts (PK shootouts are officially recorded as ties), with Carleton winning the PK battle in the MIAC playoff championship game on Nov. 8, and Augsburg winning the PK battle in the first-round NCAA playoff win at Whitworth (Wash.) on Nov. 13.
9:52 p.m. -- END OF FIRST OVERTIME -- Augsburg 1, Loras 1 -- More bonus soccer!
A scoreless first 10 minutes of overtime. Loras had a decent chance to score with 3:30 left, but a shot by Donnie St. George went high. Augsburg had three good chances in the last three minutes -- a shot by Marcus Elmerskog went wide with 2:56 left, a shot by Nick Anderson off a great feed by Alex Hilderandt went wide with 2:20 left, and a long shot by James See was saved by the Loras goalkeeper.
Another 10 minute, sudden-victory overtime ... if things are still tied, it's shootout time!
10:00 -- GOAL -- LORAS 2, AUGSBURG 1 (2OT).
And a great season for Augsburg comes to an end. Augsburg had a couple of chances left, but on a counterattack by Loras with 4:30 left, Nick Berndt played a ball on the sprint from right to left past Pascaul Venter, putting it in the goal and enabling host Loras to advance to the sectional final tomorrow night.
We'll have a game story and stats online shortly. What a great season for Augsburg ... In its first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament, the Auggies finished 12-4-7 and reaching heights never before achieved by this team. What a special year, and what a special team.
Come watch the Augsburg men's soccer team battle Whitworth University in the first round of the NCAA Division III championships! We will be showing a live feed from Whitworth University on a big screen in the Christensen Center Student Lounge. The game starts Thursday at 3 p.m. We will be serving popcorn and pop. Come wearing your maroon and help us cheer on the Auggie men's soccer team.
It's a great day for men's soccer at Augsburg. The Auggies earned a berth in the NCAA Division III national tournament for the first time in school history, and will travel out west to Spokane, Wash., for a game at Whitworth on Thursday at 1 p.m. (3 p.m. Twin Cities time).
The national tournament bid is the culmination of a tremendous season for the Auggies, head coach Greg Holker and his staff. Reaching the MIAC playoffs for the second time in the last three years, and reaching the finals with a 3-0 semifinal win at Gustavus was incredible. Then, the finals at Carleton on Saturday ... the team played its heart out in freezing-cold weather, and despite not winning the penalty-kick shootout, it was still a classic game, and as a spectator there, I was definitely proud of the effort our team gave.
Seven years ago, the Augsburg men's soccer team was 4-11-2 ... now, the Auggies are 11-3-6, one of its best seasons since the glory days of the late 70s and early 80s, and now they're going to the national tournament for the first time in school history. What a team!
We have playoff information online for Thursday's game. Whitworth is planning to have live coverage of the game -- live statistics and probably live video. We'll keep you posted.
The Augsburg men's soccer team is playing in the MIAC playoff championship game this Saturday at 2 p.m. at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. We are organizing a fan bus to make the trip down to Northfield in support of the Auggies.
Seats must be reserved and paid for in advance and will be on sale Thursday and Friday in the Christensen Center. Tickets are only $5. We need a minimum of 25 people signed up in order to reserve the fan bus. If we aren't able to get the minimum number of people, all money will be refunded. If you have any questions, please call the Athletic Department at 612-330-1249.
Going into the last week of the regular season, Augsburg's men's soccer team has moved into one of the most important rankings of all -- the NCAA Division III regional rankings. In the latest rankings released today, the Auggies are ranked No. 5 in the West Region. Carleton leads the West Region rankings, followed by Loras (Iowa), Redlands (Calif.), Whitworth (Wash.), Augsburg, St. Thomas and Chapman (Calif.).
The NCAA Division III national tournament is a 58-team field, with 38 Pool A bids (automatic qualifiers), four Pool B bids (teams from non-qualifying conferences or independent schools) and 16 Pool C bids (at-large bids). Should Augsburg win the MIAC playoff title next week, it would earn one of the Pool A bids; if not, it would be in contention for one of the 16 Pool C at-large bids.
How 'bout the Auggie men's soccer team's win at Carleton on Saturday! Consider how big the Auggies' 1-0 victory at Carleton was ... Carleton was ranked No. 8 in the NSCAA Division III national rankings, the Knights had a 28-game regular-season unbeaten streak (24-0-4) and a 21-game conference regular-season unbeaten streak (18-0-3) since 2006. Carleton had a 15-game home unbeaten streak in conference play, and had not lost to an MIAC foe at home since 2005.
Click on this link to watch David Scheller's goal ... it's a thing of beauty. Two headers and the ball reaches Scheller at the top of the box, he smacks it out of the air at waist level and it rises past the Carleton goalkeeper and into the net. It's one of the best Augsburg soccer goals I've ever seen. Incredible!
Augsburg's in the thick of a very interesting race in the MIAC, currently standing in third place with 10 league points (5-2-0 MIAC, 7-2-3 overall) and three conference games remaining. There are six teams with eight league points or more going into the final three weeks of the conference season, all vying for a berth in the four-team conference playoffs.
The Auggies have a challenging week ahead, with three games in a five-day span, starting on Tuesday at 4 p.m. with a nonconference game at St. Scholastica in Duluth. The 11-3 Saints lead the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference and have won their last eight straight games, including a 3-0 win over Macalester back on Oct. 1. St. Scholastica will have live stats online for Tuesday's game (click here).
Augsburg students have organized a fan bus to go to Northfield on Saturday for the Augsburg-at-Carleton football game (and, if soccer fans want to ride along, the Augsburg-at-Carleton men's soccer game taking place at the same time in Northfield).
If you'd like to ride on the Auggie fan bus, contact the Augsburg athletic department at 612-330-1249. The bus will pick up Auggie fans in front of the Kennedy Center/Si Melby Hall main entrance at 11:30 a.m.
Augsburg's men's soccer team moved up a spot in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's West Region rankings, up from No. 8 to No. 7 after its 5-0 win over St. Mary's on Saturday.
This week, the Auggies have two incredibly important MIAC games, facing Gustavus on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Edor Nelson Field, and Carleton on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Northfield. The Gusties are ranked No. 6 in the region, and Carleton is ranked No. 1 in the region and No. 8 in the latest national rankings by the NSCAA.
For Wednesday's home game against the Gusties, coach Greg Holker wants to see the "Crowd Control" fan support that has given the team a distinct home-field advantage. He said this after the win over the Cardinals this past Saturday: "Now we have to lock down, take care of our injuries, and prepare for our next game against Gustavus. We had a healthy crowd tonight, but hope we get some more students to chime and make a difference in an important conference clash on Wednesday night."
"I love winning ... It's like, you know, better than losing!" -- Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh, "Bull Durham"
As I look out the window of my office on a beautiful fall morning, I see our students going back and forth on their busy days, going to the chapel, coming over to Melby and Kennedy to work out. And I'm seeing a lot of smiles on people's faces, especially our student-athletes. Winning can have that kind of effect on a person.
Right now, all four of our fall "team" sports at Augsburg have winning records -- football is 3-0, volleyball is 10-8, men's soccer is 5-1-3 and women's soccer is 6-1-3. (Plus, the four fall "individual" sports -- men's and women's golf and men's and women's cross country -- are all showing strong improvement as their conference meets approach).
How rare is that feat? Well, since women's soccer started in 1985, having all four fall team sports finish with .500-or-above records has NEVER happened at Augsburg. In fact, since 1985, even having three of the fall team sports finish at .500-or-above has happened just once -- last year, when football finished 5-5, men's soccer finished 9-9-0 and women's soccer finished 9-7-3. And since volleyball started varsity play in 1973, the football, men's soccer and volleyball teams all achieved the .500-or-better trifecta just three times (1973, 1974 and 1980).
In my 12 years here at Augsburg, I've seen a slow and steady change in attitudes around here regarding athletic success. Teams are starting to win, our student-athletes are succeeding in both the playing field and the classroom, and the general attitude has become much more positive. Sure, we're not curing cancer or solving the economic crisis, but having athletic teams that are showing success brings a special kind of pride to the entire campus (and not to give short shrift to our other extracurricular activities, either. Our music, theatre and fine arts programs have always been outstanding). We talk a lot about the "Augsburg Community" around here, and we are like a small town in the middle of the big city. We care about what our students do, and celebrate their victories and mourn their losses.
It's fun to walk around campus and have faculty, staff and others stop me and want to chat about sports. "Say, the football team is doing great." "The women's soccer team is really playing well," and so on and so on. Hopefully, we'll get to keep celebrating as the fall goes along.
Augsburg teams are getting votes in regional and national polls ...
The football team is on the verge of cracking into the top 25 in the two major Division III national polls -- from D3Football.com and the American Football Coaches Association. In the D3Football.com poll, Augsburg is now the first team in the "Others Receiving Votes" category, just behind No. 25 Concordia-Moorhead. In the AFCA's poll, Augsburg is the third team in the "Others Receiving Votes" category with 80 points.
The men's soccer team has cracked the regional rankings for the first time this season, sitting in the No. 8 spot in the West Region in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America regional poll.
And the men's golf team received a vote in the latest Golf World/Nike Golf Division III Coaches Poll, released by the Golf Coaches Association of America.
Some observations on this past weekend in Auggie sports ...
FOOTBALL -- We had 24 voters vote in our poll here regarding how Saturday's Augsburg-St. Olaf game would turn out, and if you're the one voter who put Augsburg winning by 21-plus points, pat yourself on the back. (Other votes -- Augsburg winning by 1-10 points, 14 votes; Augsburg winning by 11-20 points, 6 votes; St. Olaf winning by 1-10 points, 1 vote, and St. Olaf winning by 11-20 points, 2 votes).
What a game! Who would have thought Augsburg would be that dominant against a very good St. Olaf team? The Auggies started out hot and never looked back, scoring on their first five possessions to build a 35-14 halftime lead, en route to the 49-21 Homecoming triumph.
Everything connected for Augsburg on Saturday. On offense, Jordan Berg threw for 397 yards and three TDs, all going to Royce Winford, and Jason Potts scored two rushing touchdowns. On defense, the Auggies held the Oles to just 252 yards of total offense, and junior Alex Glasenapp had a terrific game, with two sacks and two forced fumbles -- one of which was returned 64-yards for a TD by Andrew Bergeson. On special teams, Augsburg's David Tilton did something not accomplished by an Auggie since 1999 -- a kickoff return for a TD. All in all, a fun game in front of a packed house at Edor Nelson Field.
The Auggies are 3-0 for the first time since 1999, and have a chance to go 4-0 for the first time since 1973 (the Auggies won their first five games en route to a 7-2 finish) with a win at Hamline this coming Saturday. The Auggies have the potential to be 5-0 going into a crucial home game against Concordia on Oct. 18 ... but this team has to take everything one game at a time.
The 2008 Auggies have the chance to be a truly special team, but it's a long season and anything can happen. But I will admit something ... every game this team plays reminds me more and more of the great conference-championship team of 1997. Things fell into place perfectly for that team, and it seems like things are starting to fall into place for this team.
WOMEN'S SOCCER -- Augsburg is off to a great 6-1-3 start to the season, after Saturday's 2-0 victory at St. Catherine. The win broke a stretch of two straight ties, and coach Mike Navarre told me that breaking that stretch of ties was a great relief for the Auggies.
Lots of balance in this team. Seven different players have scored goals, and 11 different players have contributed either goals or assists. And the defense, which has been a hallmark of Navarre's teams over the years, continues to be solid. Goalkeeper Maggie DeGroot has been her usual brilliant self, with seven shutouts and a 0.48 goals-against-average. The defensive foursome in front of her -- Kristi Castelic, Felicia Faison, Whitney Holman and Gaby Hamerlinck -- has allowed just six goals in 10 games so far this season.
Augsburg has reached the MIAC playoffs the last four years in a row, and this team is primed for another playoff run. Currently, the Auggies are in third place with seven league points, with six conference games remaining. And this week will provide a good stretch of rest and preparation for the rest of the league season, which begins next Saturday with a home game against St. Mary's.
MEN'S SOCCER -- Coach Greg Holker's bunch should certainly be pleased with two ties over the weekend against some solid competition across the border in Wisconsin -- a 1-1 tie at Wisconsin-Whitewater on Friday and a 0-0 tie at Wisconsin-Oshkosh (your friendly SID's alma mater, by the way) on Sunday.
Augsburg is 5-1-3 after eight games, going into the heart of conference play this weekend with a game against St. Mary's on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Edor Nelson Field. Like the women, the Auggie men also get a week of rest and preparation before returning to MIAC action. Augsburg stands in a second-place tie in conference play with six points (3-1-0), with six conference games remaining.
Holker put it right in his summary of Sunday's game: "We are getting better -- and we are close to being pretty darn good." Like the Auggie women, the Auggie men are a study in balance, with six different goal-scorers and 11 different players claiming either goals or assists this year. And the Auggie defense has allowed just six goals this season, with goalkeepers Pascaul Venter and Donnie McCarthy both having very solid performances this past week.
VOLLEYBALL -- The Auggie volleyball team has had an up-and-down season, to say the least, which makes their 8-8 record entering tonight's nonconference match with North Central (7 p.m. at Si Melby Hall) understandable. After a three-game sweep by league contender Carleton on Wednesday, the Auggies rebounded with a great effort against a very good St. Benedict team, falling in five sets on Friday night.
Katie Christensen has had a great season so far, as the sophomore has cemented her place in the Auggie rotation. Versatile outside hitter Julie Jenkins has again been solid, and setter Shanna Reed and libero Dani Tanaka have both had outstanding seasons. Middle hitters Barbara Simmons and Amanda Rueb are showing tremendous promise.
Sitting at 0-3 in the conference with eight league games remaining, the Auggies' goal of making the top six for a berth in the conference playoffs will be a very tough goal to achieve, but it's still reachable. Another reachable goal would be to finish among the top eight teams in the league, ensuring the Auggies of a spot in the annual "crossover" weekend of matches with the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Augsburg men's soccer player Matt Bowman will be occasionally blogging here regarding his recovery from open-heart surgery earlier this month (related posts: Sept. 9, Sept. 22, Sept. 24), and his rehabilitation process as he aims to return to the Auggies next season.
I can't describe in words how crazy this past month has been, ever since I collapsed on Aug. 20. As some of you know, I was diagnosed with an anomalous coronary artery, which I have had since birth. Although it was hard to hear this, I was deeply thankful that the doctors were able to find the problem. To correct this defect, I had to have open-heart surgery.
The turning point for me, after the diagnosis, was that I remembered that this was all out of my hands. The fact that I got up after the incident on the field still amazes me, and I truly believe God was watching over me and has been all along. When I came to this realization, I was at peace with the whole situation. After my friends and family found out, the support came pouring in. I am forever grateful for these people in my life.
I quickly became aware that support was even coming from people I didn't even know. The thought of these people taking time out of their day to pray and think of me was overwhelming. I wish I could thank each one of these people in person, but I know that would be impossible. What I do want them to know is that I apprecieate everything they have done for me, and that they made this whole process so much easier for me. I want to give a special thanks to the people that were close to me throughout this past month. This includes my family, girlfriend, roomates, coaches, teamates, and Augsburg College. They did everything they could to show their support for me and it was more than I could've ever asked for. My story is much bigger than me, and it is only amazing because of the people that have been involved.
Since the surgery is over, I have been feeling better every day. I have a few check-ups and rehab appointments left which are scheduled in the next few weeks. It was great to be back on the bench, and beating St. Olaf made it that much better! Not being on the field with my teamates is hard, but just to be in that competitive soccer environment feels great. Around mid-November, I should be cleared to play again. That day will not come soon enough, but I am thankful just to be where I am right now.
If you are a faithful AugBlog reader, you've read men's soccer coach Greg Holker's posts (Sept. 9 and Sept. 22) regarding Matt Bowman, a sophomore who collapsed last month during a preseason scrimmage, and later underwent open-heart surgery to correct a rare anomalous coronary artery heart defect.
Last night, KARE-11 television did a great feature (click here to read and view the video) on Matt and his recovery since the surgery. Matt returned to the Augsburg campus on Monday, and joined his teammates on the bench as Augsburg defeated St. Olaf 3-0 in a crucial MIAC contest.
The KARE-11 story, by reporter Karla Hult and photojournalist Bob Crippa, featured interviews with Matt, his parents and the doctor at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital who diagnosed Matt and performed the surgery on Sept. 12. It's a great story of a medical miracle.
We've asked Matt to document his recovery and rehabilitation for us at the AugBlog, and he's planning to do so over the next several months. He's also planning to return to play soccer next season for the Auggies. Go Matt!!!
Augsburg men's soccer head coach Greg Holker sends an update on his team's season and on the condition of player Matt Bowman:
It has been one month and two days since Matt Bowman collapsed in our first preseason scrimmage. Since then, the entire program has been through a roller coaster ride. By that, we mean his family, the doctors and surgeons, friends and teammates, professors and coaches -- essentially everyone involved in Matt's life.
Matt is grateful for everyone's support during the past month, especially for his teammates and friends at Augsburg. It was a much easier process for Matt, knowing he had the support of all of these wonderful people.
Matt underwent a successful operation on Sept. 12 to correct an anomalous left main coronary artery. Basically, one of Matt's arteries was located in the wrong place at birth. There was a high risk of sudden death due to this condition. The surgery itself lasted three-and-a-half hours and was 100 percent successful. Matt spent two days in intensive care before moving to his own room for two additional days. He was released from the hospital on Sept. 16. He spent the last week recovering from his home in Maple Grove, and today he is back on campus!
In three weeks, Matt will go back for another CT coronary angiography so the doctors can confirm everything is healing well and operating the way it should. He will begin cardiac rehab across the street at Fairview Riverside Hospital at the end of this week, and will continue with his rehab for a few additional weeks.
Tuesday night's game against St. Olaf (7:30 p.m.) will mark the return of Matt to our bench. Although the game is an important MIAC matchup between two of the top teams and serves as our Homecoming competition that will recognize the 1973 MIAC championship team, the return of Matt Bowman will be at the forefront of everyone's mind. I am excited to have him back on our bench -- and I know the guys will be flying when they see him there!
Some thoughts on this weekend in Augsburg sports:
FOOTBALL: What a game!!! I can safely say that in my 12 years as SID here at good ol' Augsburg, Saturday's 30-24, two-overtime win over No. 20-ranked Wartburg ranks up there with the greatest Auggie football games I've ever seen (that list might be a future AugBlog post). Great atmosphere, night football under the lights in "The Cage," and an exciting, back-and-forth battle. Augsburg jumped out to the early 10-0 lead with a dominating first-quarter performance, then held on as Wartburg rallied. But the Auggies came back with some great plays -- a Jordan Berg-to-Royce Winford TD pass, a blocked field goal by John Leibfried and Alex Glasenapp, another Berg-to-Winford TD pass in the first OT, a defensive stand to force a missed Wartburg field goal, and finally, Jason Potts' 23-yard scamper for the game-winning score.
How about the play of Royce Winford? Perhaps one of the few two-way players in all of college football this year, the veteran wide receiver added defensive cornerback duties to his repertoire this season, and played most of the 163 plays against Wartburg. Defensively, he had three tackles and a key interception in the fourth quarter.
This may be a very special Augsburg team. It's looking like the tools are coming together -- offense, defense and special teams -- for a deep run this year. Will the Auggies contend with the usual suspects (St. John's, Bethel, etc.) for the MIAC title? Time will tell, but the fun of the MIAC season starts on Sept. 27 (Augsburg is idle this coming Saturday), with Augsburg's Homecoming game against St. Olaf.
MEN'S SOCCER: The beat goes on for the Auggies, now 4-0-1 after a solid 2-1 win over Hamline in the rain on Saturday in St. Paul. Another team that's coming together in a good way, with a nice mix of veterans and solid newcomers. Eight different Auggies have figured in the scoring with goals or assists this season, showing the team's good balance. And 2006 All-American goalkeeper Pascaul Venter, who missed most of last season due to injury, is back in good form. He's started the last three games and has a 3-0-0 record with one shutout.
A big test for the Auggies will come this Wednesday at 4 p.m., when they travel to face St. Thomas in St. Paul. The Tommies are 6-0-0 on the season and, like Augsburg are considered one of the favorites to claim the MIAC crown.
WOMEN'S SOCCER: Another start, another shutout for Augsburg goalkeeper Maggie DeGroot. With the help of one of the best defenses in the MIAC, she did it again on Saturday, blanking defending NCAA tournament team St. Scholastica 1-0 in Duluth, with five saves. Consider this little nugget: in her career, DeGroot is 32-16-13, with 31 shutouts (an Auggie career record) among her 32 wins and 13 ties. She's allowed just two goals this season, playing all but 13:20 of the Auggies' 560 minutes in goal, and she already has five shutouts in six starts this year.
Augsburg has its first home game in a couple of weeks this coming Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., when Hamline visits Edor Nelson Field. If the defense continues to hold firm, the Auggies could be primed for a solid run towards an MIAC title.
VOLLEYBALL: If you understand volleyball statistics, check out this linescore from Augsburg's four-set win over Simpson (Iowa) at the Wartburg (Iowa) Invitational over the weekend: 17 kills, 0 errors, 21 assists, .810 attack percentage. Those are incredible numbers, folks, and that's what Julie Jenkins put up at the net against the Storm on Saturday. Most good hitters will hit in the .200s to .300s on average, with outstanding performances in the .400 range. But .810? That's not human!!! Julie hit .303 on the weekend, and she's hitting at a solid .248 clip on the season.
Another solid hitting performance came from Laura Harms, who netted a career-high 29 kills and hit .444 in a five-set loss to a very good Nebraska Wesleyan team on Friday night. In her first run of extended action since dealing with early-season injuries, Harms had a great performance in the Wartburg tournament, with 67 kills, a .292 attack percentage and nine blocks. She earned All-Tournament Team honors on the weekend.
The Auggies are off to a very impressive 8-5 start after the first three weeks of the season, and open conference play this Wednesday at 7 p.m., with a match at Gustavus. If this team continues to play well together, they have a legitimate shot at an MIAC postseason playoff berth.
CROSS COUNTRY: How about the effort of Augsburg junior Brent Haglund? In hot and humid conditions on an unfamiliar, wet and muddy course in Massachusetts, Haglund puts together a meet-winning 26:42.76 effort over 8,000 meters to lead the Auggies at the Tufts (Mass.) Jumbo Invitational on Saturday. And four Auggie men finish in the top 50 overall to give the team a fourth-place overall placing. In all, a very good effort for coach Dennis Barker's Auggie men. And on the women's side, sophomore Jennifer Lovering continues to impress, as she took 26th overall with a 21:25.71 effort over 5,000 meters to lead the Auggies to a sixth-place team finish.
This Saturday, the Auggies compete at the St. Olaf Invitational in Northfield. With a familiar course and a good week of training back in Minnesota, the Auggies are primed to shine.
MEN'S GOLF: Colby Anderson is having quite a year. In the past two weekends, he's had multiple top-five finishes, including a 1-over-par 73 for a third-place finish at the rain-shortened St. John's Fall Invitational on Sunday. He's averaging a 3-over-par 75.0 so far this season, seventh-best among all MIAC golfers.
At the St. John's meet, the Auggies finished sixth as a team, finishing better than five teams ranked ahead of them in the Golfstat rankings. A big test will be this weekend, when the Auggies compete at the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Invitational.
WOMEN'S GOLF: Tough conditions for Augsburg this weekend at the Carleton Division III Midwest Classic in Ham Lake, as the Auggies had to battle rain in both rounds. Sophomores Stefani Zappa and Johanna Frykmark are having good seasons, and should continue to improve. The Auggies are now idle until the MIAC championships Oct. 4-6 at Bunker Hills in Coon Rapids.
-- Don Stoner
Another busy weekend in Auggie sports ... here's the preview.
Just one home event this weekend, and it's a biggie -- the Auggie football team hosting Wartburg (Iowa) in the home-opener on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Edor Nelson Field. I haven't heard so much buzz on campus regarding a home football game in a long time. It's great! Record the USC-Ohio State game on your DVR and get to Augsburg for this one -- you won't want to miss it!
It's shaping up to be a great battle. Since the nonconference series between the two ELCA schools was restarted in 2004, there have been numerous close games -- a three-point loss in 2004, another three-point loss in 2005, and last year's miracle 14-13 victory in Waverly, Iowa. Both teams opened this season with impressive wins, as Augsburg topped Crown 49-14 and Wartburg topped St. Norbert (Wis.) 44-20. For the full game notes, click here (PDF).
Just a reminder, if you can't make it to Edor Nelson Field, you can listen to Tom Witschen's call of the game online, watch live stats, and follow the action right here on the ol' AugBlog! Kelly Anderson Diercks is going to be doing a live blog during the game.
The volleyball team is in Waverly, Iowa, this weekend for the Wartburg Invitational. Action starts today with matches against Coe (Iowa) and Nebraska Wesleyan, and tomorrow starting at 11 a.m., with matches against Simpson (Iowa) and Wartburg. Augsburg has had a strong start to the season, with a 6-3 record entering this weekend's play. Updated scores will be posted on Wartburg's site (click here).
Coe is 1-5 on the season, with its lone win a five-set triumph over Transylvania (Pa.) in the Elmhurst (Ill.) tournament on Aug. 30. Nebraska Wesleyan is actually opening its season this weekend, but the Prairie Wolves have been a very successful team over the years. NWU has appeared in the last four NCAA Division III national tournaments, and are coming off a 17-12 campaign last year. Simpson is 4-1, with one of those wins a five-set triumph over regional power Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Aug. 30. Wartburg is 2-4 on the season, coming off a close five-set loss to Wisconsin-Platteville on Wednesday night.
The men's soccer team, fresh off a 3-0 triumph at Concordia-Moorhead on Wednesday, has a challenging conference test at Hamline on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. Augsburg is still unbeaten (3-0-1), and has given up just two goals so far this season. Hamline has started the season 3-3, but won its conference-opening game on Wednesday, with a 1-0 triumph at Bethel.
The women's soccer team has the final game of its three-game road trek against NCAA Division III national tournament teams from last year on Saturday, with a 3 p.m. nonconference game at St. Scholastica in Duluth. The Auggies are 3-1-1 on the season, coming off a 0-0, scoreless tie in their conference-opener at Concordia-Moorhead on Wednesday. St. Scholastica is 5-0-0 for the first time in school history, with three double-overtime victories in the string.
The men's and women's cross country teams are back in action this Saturday, competing at the Tufts (Mass.) Jumbo Invitational in Grafton, Mass. Coach Dennis Barker has taken his teams to the East Coast for meets on several occasions, a great team-building exercise. The young Auggies had a very good opening meet with Bethel back on Aug. 30, and have been training hard for this weekend's adventure in the Boston area.
The men's golf team had a strong showing with a fifth-place finish at the Augsburg Invitational last weekend, and will compete against another deep field at the St. John's Fall Invitational this Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's round is at the GreyStone Golf Club in Sauk Centre, with Sunday's round at Blackberry Ridge Golf Course in Sartell.
The women's golf team competed at the Concordia-Moorhead Invitational last weekend, continuing to show improvement with a young roster under coach Laura Patrick. This weekend, the Auggies compete at the Carleton Division III Midwest Classic at the Majestic Oak Golf Club in Ham Lake.
-- Don Stoner
Men's soccer head coach Greg Holker's thoughts on the season so far, heading into Augsburg's MIAC-opener at Concordia-Moorhead on Wednesday:
It’s been a challenging start to the 2008 campaign for our men's soccer team. Three of last year's starters have not set foot on the field due to injuries -- including one who will have open-heart surgery on Friday.
In our first preseason scrimmage, sophomore sensation Matt Bowman collapsed with three minutes remaining in the contest. When I got to Matt, things did not look good. It was an out-of-body experience for me -- like I was living what I had read in the news. He was having trouble getting oxygen and was unconscious and unresponsive. I thought he was dying.
For what seemed like an eternity, we waited for the paramedics to arrive ... but before they made it, Matt came to and starting responding to questions. Within a matter of five minutes, he said he felt fine -- it was crazy. After he was released from the ambulance, it looked like he could run a marathon. He felt perfectly fine. After further testing that night at a local hospital and more extensive testing the following Monday, the doctors could not find anything wrong with him. He was set for one last round of testing and we were expecting him to be cleared to play on our trip to Iowa when we found out the news.
Matt is a walking miracle. He has a form of anomalous coronary artery heart defect that is very rare, and in 80 percent of patients, they die before it is diagnosed. Surgery is Matt's only option because with this condition (his left coronary artery is going between his aorta and his pulmonary artery, a place it definitely shouldn't be), the risk of sudden death is very high even if he gave up competitive sports.
Matt is scheduled for surgery at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 12. He will be in surgery for about three hours and then intensive care for the rest of the day. The surgeon said in 8-10 weeks he should make a full recovery, and he will be able to rejoin his teammates on the field in 2009.
When something like this happens, it helps everyone involved reassess what is important to them -- and how we live our lives. As painful as it has been for Matt to be away from the sport he loves and the team he calls family, we are all grateful he will recover from this and have an opportunity to keep making a difference in all of our lives.
We will honor Matt throughout this season with a black armband that reads "MB5."
"We are a family determined to transforming ambition into championships through disciplined effort and strong leadership."
The Augsburg men's soccer team has some friends in high places in the soccer world.
