Orange City, Iowa– It was a brisk night in Iowa as Northwestern was able to get a massive GPAC win against second in the conference, Briar Cliff. 

The first half did not bring much to cheer about. It was an intense and physical first 45 minutes for both teams. The Raiders produced a trio of great opportunities that they were unable to convert. The back line held strong as Briar Cliff was only able to get off one shot on goal. It was 0-0 at the break. 

The Raiders maintained their strong momentum into the second half. The majority of the second half was played on the Briar Cliff defensive side. The Raiders finished the game with 7 shots on goal, all high-quality chances. 

In the 65th minute, Northwestern were awarded a free kick 10 feet outside the top of the box and elected Stand van den Beld to take a shot at the goal. Van den Beld shot a laser into the bottom right corner of the goal to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead. 

The scoring did not stop there. In the 84th minute Alex Ruiz stole the ball away after a big touch from the Charger defender and proceeded to put the game out of reach by making it 2-0. 

In the second half, Northwestern goalie Rick Lammerts made a pair of impressive saves to keep the shutout and secure the Raider victory. Additionally, the Raider back line strung together multiple impressive tackles near the net. 

As the clock struck zero, the scoreboard read 2-0 Northwestern and celebration followed. 

The Raiders improved to 4-3-4 and 3-1-1 in the GPAC, good for a tie in second and one point behind first. 

GAME NOTES 

• Rick Lammerts matched his career high in saves with 7. 

• Stan van den Beld and Alex Ruiz were responsible for 5 of the shots on goal. 

• Jannes Kuehn played his first career complete game with the Raiders. 

Up Next: Northwestern will be on the road Friday October 11th, facing Mount Marty in GPAC action at 1:30 PM.  

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