ASHLAND, WIS.—The Hamline University men's soccer team is off to their best start in 17 seasons following a 3-2 victory at Northland on Sunday afternoon.

The Pipers move to 4-0 for the first time since 2006, when they began that campaign with a 5-0 record. The Lumberjacks stumble to 1-3 with the loss.

Hamline 3, Northland 2

Fifth-year senior Jared Garcia had a hand in all three Hamline goals in the contest, which included a pair of tallies in the 11th and 12th minutes that gave his team a 2-0 lead. It looked as though the game was in Hamline's hands, as they dominated the shots count by a 17-6 margin through 70 minutes of play. That changed in the 73rd minute, when Sorel Richardson's goal narrowed Northland's deficit to 2-1.

Richardson's goal proved to be a spark the Lumberjacks needed, as they out shot the Pipers 4-2 within the game's final 20 minutes. That included goalkeeper Jamie Colvill's score from 63 yards out on a free kick in the 78th minute that knotted the score at 2-2.

Northland's Kelan Cattaway fired a bicycle kick to the back of the net in the 85th minute that could have been a game-winning goal, but was assessed a foul on the play due to a dangerous kick. The Pipers took a 3-2 lead just 1:06 later, when Jessie Juarez netted his second goal of the season off an assist from Garcia and Jonathan Bayer.

Northland came close to tying things again when Kellen Richardson let a shot go that hit the cross bar in the 87th minute before Hamline secured a 3-2 victory.

The Pipers held a 19-10 shots advantage. Garcia led Hamline with a five-point outing that included two goals and one assist, while Juarez finished with one goal and an assist.

Ethan Schauer made one save in net for the Pipers, while Colvill stopped seven shots between the pipes for the Lumberjacks.

Hamline will open MIAC play on Wednesday, September 13, when they'll host Augsburg at Pat Paterson Field. Game time is set for 4 p.m.