A pair of first half goals led the Briar Cliff men's soccer team to a 2-1 season opening victory over William Woods Thursday in Fulton, Missouri. The Charger defense stymied the Owl attack, allowing just two shots on goal.
 
"Today was a tough test and a physical battle," said head coach Teren Schuster. "I am proud of the way the boys battled on, stuck together and dug deep to grind a well-earned victory on the road. We now look ahead to Wednesday against Columbia, which will be another difficult test."
 
In the 14th minute of action, the Chargers were awarded a corner kick and made the most of the opportunity. Jasper van der Molen took the corner for the Blue and Gold and found Alex Johnson at the top of the six-yard box who scored on a header.
 
With a minute to play before halftime, and the Chargers applying pressure up front, they were able to create an Owl turnover. Nicolas Karlsen found Andrew Buchanan, who worked his way past a defender to beat the keeper to back post. The Chargers held a 2-0 lead after 45 minutes of play. 
 
William Woods would score a goal in the 72nd minute, but with a 2-1 lead the Chargers allowed just one more shot in the final 16 minutes of play.
 
Briar Cliff took six shots, with two on goal, while the Owls had five and two on goal.
 
In his Charger debut, Hjalmar Nilsson played all 90 minutes in net for the Cliff, allowing just one goal while making one save.
 
Hugo Mariage took two shots to lead the Cliff, while Buchanan and Johnson were the two Chargers to put a shot on net.
 
The Chargers will return to Missouri for their next contest when they face #14 Columbia College at 3:30 p.m. next Wednesday in Columbia, Missouri.