PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Michael Barragan (So.-Milwaukee, Wis.) buried a free kick just over seven minutes into the second half for the opening goal and the Lakeland University men's soccer team defeated Edgewood College 2-0 Wednesday night at Taylor Field.

The Muskies won for the third time in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play and ran their undefeated string to three games with the shutout win on a windy night. Lakeland also defeated Edgewood for the second time this calendar year and improved to 4-6-2 overall and 3-5-1 in conference.

The Muskies held possession a good share of the first half but were still involved in a scoreless game when Barragan made the Eagles pay immediately for a red card at 52:01 of the match. A hard foul plus extracurricular activity in the Muskies' offensive end resulted in a free kick awarded from 28 yards out straight on, and Barragan hammered a shot over the wall and inside the right post for his first goal of the season.

With Edgewood (0-11 overall, 0-8 NACC) playing a man down the rest of the way, the Eagles still applied some pressure in the second half. Noah Mesdjian and Tyler Nelson had back-to-back shots from point blank range in the 61st but Zach Heiman (So.-Racine, Wis.) turned away both to thwart the Eagles' chance.

The Muskies began to take control over the final minutes, and it paid off with a second goal with just under four minutes to play. Suleiman Haji (So.-Mankato, Minn.) sent a ball from midfield down to the right corner to Michecadet Gethand (So.-Jackson, Wis.), who shook a defender and from the end line had a one-on-one with Edgewood keeper Jack Gentner. Haji would crash the goal and Gethand sent a cross from short range that was deflected by Gentner, but not enough to keep Haji from putting it into the open net for his first goal of the season.

Joseph Reyes (So.-Pico River, Calif.) also had several good chances, coming up from his defensive position to strike four hard shots on goal in the game, including ones in the 80th and 81st minutes. Lakeland also had a chance to add on in the 89th minute when Gethand found Sebastian Ramirez (So.-Hinsdale, Ill.) wide open for a shot at an open goal from the left side that went wide of the goal from 12 yards out.

The Muskies finished with a 19-9 advantage in shot attempts, including a 10-3 margin in the first half when they spent much of the opening 45 minutes on the attack. Gethand posted four shots in the first half, including two on goal.

Heiman made four saves for his second shutout of the season, while Gentner made seven saves for Edgewood. The fourth win of the season and third conference win gives Lakeland its most overall and conference wins in a season since 2016.

Lakeland is idle this weekend with a Saturday off but returns to play next Wednesday when it hosts Marian University at 7 p.m.