RIVER FALLS, Wis. – The UW-River Falls men's soccer team mounted a late comeback but fell short in a 2-1 loss to Saint John's University on Monday at Ramer Soccer Stadium.
Sorel Richardson scored in the 83
rd minute for the Falcons, who outshot the Johnnies in the second half but couldn't overcome an early two-goal deficit.
Saint John's took control early, opening the scoring in the eighth minute when Ronan O'Connor netted his 10
th goal of the season off a pass from Lisle Cherwien. The Johnnies doubled their lead in the 35
th minute as Foster Conlin scored, assisted by Connor Drong, to go up 2-0 at halftime.
The Falcons came alive in the second half, producing nine shots and eight corner kicks as they pushed for an equalizer.
Mateo Gonzalez assisted Richardson for UWRF's lone goal in the 83
rd minute, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Despite the late pressure, the Falcons couldn't find another breakthrough in the closing moments.
The Falcon defense, anchored by goalkeeper
Josh Bates, made seven saves to keep the game within reach. Bates and the backline limited Saint John's to two shots in the second half. UWRF finished with 10 shots, three on target, compared to Saint John's 13 shots and nine on goal.
Oscar Moline led the offense with three shots and
Kellen Richardson added two.
The loss drops UW-River Falls to 3-2-1 on the season, while Saint John's improves to 4-0-2. The Falcons showed determination in the second half but were unable to extend their unbeaten streak.
The Falcons will host Central College on Sept 19 at Ramer Soccer Stadium. The match is set to kick off at 4 p.m.
