ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The men's and women's soccer programs of Snelling Avenue neighbors, Bethel University and Northwestern College, are preparing to go head-to-head Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. with the men playing at Northwestern and the women at Bethel.
The Bethel men will head down the road to the NWC campus for Northwestern's 2012 home opener. The Eagles and Royals men have played each of the last five years with every game being very competitive. It has been a back-and-forth affair with each team winning two games and in 2011 they played to a 0-0 draw. The Royals own a 17-6-1 record in the history of the series. The Northwestern men have opened the 2012 season with a pair of shutout losses to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) opponents St. Olaf (3-0) and St. Thomas (2-0). The Eagles will begin Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play after their matchup with Bethel when they travel to New Ulm, Minn., to take on Martin Luther College on September 14. Northwestern was picked to finish third in the UMAC preseason coaches poll. The Royals men are in search of their first victory of the season after a pair of tough losses in Iowa last weekend to Loras College (6-0) and Simpson College (3-0).
After not playing in 2011 the Eagles and Royals women will hook back up for the thirteenth time in series history. Both programs were founded in the mid 1990's, Bethel in 1993 and Northwestern in 1996. The Royals have had the upper hand in the series with an 11-1 record, the only loss coming in 2003. Bethel has won the last the last three meetings by a combined score of 14-1. Northwestern has played just one game so far in 2012, a 2-0 loss to MIAC opponent Augsburg. The Eagles were picked to finish in second place in the UMAC preseason coaches poll, which is where they have finished each of the last four years behind the College of St. Scholastica. Bethel is looking to get back in the win column after a pair of tough defeats to Simpson College (1-0) and UW-La Crosse (2-1). The Royals opened their season with a 5-0 victory over Cornell College last Friday.
Both Friday and Saturday's home games will have live stats and video available here. Click on the live stats link and the video will appear in the stats window. Live video for Friday's away contest can be seen here.
