University of St. Thomas Athletics
Saturday, September 25
Charleston, Ill.
1:00 p.m.
0-8-1, 0-1-0
0
at
1
Eastern Illinois
1-5-1, 1-0-0
1
2
F
St. Thomas (MN)
0
0
0
Eastern Ill.
1
0
1
Photo by: Eastern Illinois Athletics
Photo by: Eastern Illinois Athletics
Photo by: Eastern Illinois Athletics
Photo by: Eastern Illinois Athletics
Photo by: Eastern Illinois Athletics
Men's Soccer battles but falls 1-0 in Summit League opener
9/25/2021 7:08:00 PM | Men's Soccer
With both sides playing aggressively, the Tommies fell 1-0 to Eastern Illinois after the host team was able to sneak in a goal during the 36th minute. This was the Summit League conference opener for the Toms and the Panthers, who both brought relentless intensity during all 90 minutes.
Throughout the game, the Panthers were quick with possession, but continued to run into strong defensive plays by the Toms, including critical stops by defenders Halvor Houg, Wes Lorrens, Isaac Eckroth, and Max Hand. Sophomore goalie Tucker Mann had five saves for the Tommies.
The St. Thomas attack was challenged by a physical Eastern Illinois defense, who finished the game with the only cards of the match. The three yellows came in the 49th, 83rd, and 90th minutes. Much of the back-and-forth game was played in the midfield with Tommie vets Stu Sain, Sam Holton, and George Marty winning battles and creating great opportunities.
The lone goal for Eastern Illinois came off of an opportunity sent by their goalie. After finding its way towards the box, the ball was shot twice by Panther players, blocked once by Mann and once by a Tommie defender, before a third strike found the back of the net.
One of the best St. Thomas opportunities came in the 52nd minute. A free kick sent by Eckroth went deep into Panther territory, helping to set up a header by Jack Barry that hit the cross bar. Lorrens rebounded with an attempt that was saved by Panther keeper, Jonathan Burke, off the line. Combative pressing by the Toms gave them several other prime chances throughout the game. St. Thomas (0-8-1 overall, 0-1 Summit) had six shots with four on goal, while Eastern Illinois (1-5-1, 1-0) had 10 with seven on goal.
This was the first soccer game for the Purple as members of the Summit League. The men return home for the next two games, facing Western Michigan (2-3-3) on Tuesday, September 28 at 4 p.m., and conference opponent Oral Roberts (5-1) on Saturday, October 2 at 1 p.m.
Coach Lowery remains positive with his team's fight and attitude: "We knew it was going to be difficult to come down to Charleston today. It was an afternoon game with significant travel, and Eastern Illinois brought an intensity we needed to match. I felt it was our best performance, back to front, thus far. We protected the goal well and fought hard up front. Although we are disappointed to not get the result we wanted to start with in a new conference, this game was another step forward for a group of guys who continue pushing to make this team better and better."
Throughout the game, the Panthers were quick with possession, but continued to run into strong defensive plays by the Toms, including critical stops by defenders Halvor Houg, Wes Lorrens, Isaac Eckroth, and Max Hand. Sophomore goalie Tucker Mann had five saves for the Tommies.
The St. Thomas attack was challenged by a physical Eastern Illinois defense, who finished the game with the only cards of the match. The three yellows came in the 49th, 83rd, and 90th minutes. Much of the back-and-forth game was played in the midfield with Tommie vets Stu Sain, Sam Holton, and George Marty winning battles and creating great opportunities.
The lone goal for Eastern Illinois came off of an opportunity sent by their goalie. After finding its way towards the box, the ball was shot twice by Panther players, blocked once by Mann and once by a Tommie defender, before a third strike found the back of the net.
One of the best St. Thomas opportunities came in the 52nd minute. A free kick sent by Eckroth went deep into Panther territory, helping to set up a header by Jack Barry that hit the cross bar. Lorrens rebounded with an attempt that was saved by Panther keeper, Jonathan Burke, off the line. Combative pressing by the Toms gave them several other prime chances throughout the game. St. Thomas (0-8-1 overall, 0-1 Summit) had six shots with four on goal, while Eastern Illinois (1-5-1, 1-0) had 10 with seven on goal.
This was the first soccer game for the Purple as members of the Summit League. The men return home for the next two games, facing Western Michigan (2-3-3) on Tuesday, September 28 at 4 p.m., and conference opponent Oral Roberts (5-1) on Saturday, October 2 at 1 p.m.
Coach Lowery remains positive with his team's fight and attitude: "We knew it was going to be difficult to come down to Charleston today. It was an afternoon game with significant travel, and Eastern Illinois brought an intensity we needed to match. I felt it was our best performance, back to front, thus far. We protected the goal well and fought hard up front. Although we are disappointed to not get the result we wanted to start with in a new conference, this game was another step forward for a group of guys who continue pushing to make this team better and better."
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Team Stats
UST
EIU
Goals
0
1
Shots
6
10
Shots on Goal
4
7
Saves
5
4
Corners
5
6
Fouls
3
8
Scoring Plays
Julian Smith (1)
GOAL by EIU Smith, Julian.
35:35
Game Leaders
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
def
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
D
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
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/ Men's SoccerD
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's SoccerMen's Soccer
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Men's Soccer vs. Kansas City
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Men's Soccer vs. Oral Roberts
Saturday, October 02
