ELSAH, ILL. -- A partially sunny and breezy Saturday afternoon provided the backdrop for the Principia men's soccer team's gritty win against the Eureka Red Devils in a hotly contested SLIAC matchup. The game which had been played at a pedestrian pace through much of the first half got a jolt in the 25th minute when,
Andres De Paz Nicol made a forceful run on top of the box and left an inviting spinning ball inside the six which
Spencer Brown did well to thump into the roof of the net off the crossbar. Brown would be on the mark again in the 41st minute of play as the official pointed to the spot kick for a penalty following a heavy handed challenge in the box. Brown made no mistake tucking away the ball for his sixth goal of the season.
The second half provided much of the same in this dull affair only this time it was the Devils that brought the heat. A corner kick in the 55th minute of play found an unmarked Devil striker in the box, and he made no mistake knocking the ball between the static Panther defenders in what would amount to be the consolation goal in the match.
As the game progressed, the Devils would later be awarded a penalty kick in the 70th minute of play, but the Devils effort was suffocated by an active
Samuel Thomas to deny the Devils the equalizer while effectively shifting the momentum of the game for good. With just five minutes left in the match,
Evan Sperr latched onto an awkwardly high spinning ball, beating the keeper to the punch with his header to score his first collegiate goal and secure the win for the Panthers. Principia now finds itself in a must win situation going into their final conference matchup against Westminster College on Tuesday night in Fulton, Mo. at 7:00 PM. The Panthers have the possibility of finishing anywhere from 2nd place to 5th place with the battle to be among the top four finishers.
