NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Junior Clemente Arcuch Puig scored the lone goal of the game in the 88th minute to propel the No. 15-ranked St. Olaf College men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Central College on Monday afternoon at Rolf Mellby Field.

St. Olaf (2-1-0) outshot Central (1-1-1) by a 28-4 margin, including a 12-1 margin in shots on goal, and had 65 percent possession in the game but had to wait until the final two-plus minutes to break through. With just over two-and-a-half minutes remaining, Arcuch Puig headed home a cross from classmate Casey McCloskey after junior Shea Bechtel slotted the ball to McCloskey on the right.

The goal was Arcuch Puig's fourth in the first three games, as the junior has scored in each of St. Olaf's three games to start the season. The Santiago, Chile product has already exceeded his total of three goals from a year ago.

The Oles outshot the Dutch by a 14-3 count in the opening 45 minutes but could not find a way past Central's John Foster, who made three saves in quick succession to deny junior Hakeem Morgan twice and McCloskey once in the 30th minute.

With the game still scoreless in the second half, Morgan nearly broke the deadlock in the 64th minute, but his left-footed shot off a cutback from Arcuch Puig hit squarely off the post. Over 20 minutes later, St. Olaf finally made the breakthrough when Arcuch Puig nodded the ball in at the back post from McCloskey's cross for his second game-winning goal of the season. The goal came after junior Victor Gaulmin tracked back to make a sliding tackle near the top of the Oles' 18-yard box to win back possession.

McCloskey earned his first assist of the season on the goal, while Bechtel collected his second after getting the ball to McCloskey on the right. In his first collegiate start, sophomore Peter Forseth only had one save to make to earn the win for the Oles.

St. Olaf heads to Chicago next weekend to face a pair of teams currently ranked in the top 10 nationally. The Oles take on North Park University on Friday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. before facing the University of Chicago on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 12 p.m. The Maroons were ranked No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason national poll, while the Vikings checked in at No. 7.