Principia College Men's Soccer played their home opener on Friday evening under the lights. A steady rain fell throughout the match, but that didn't prevent loyal supporters from coming out to show their support on opening night. After an extended lightning delay, the Panthers took the field against the Rockford University Regents. A handful of starters were unavailable to play on Friday evening, which allowed the Principia Men's team to demonstrate the depth of the squad.
Defensively, first year Nathan Babcock stepped into the starting lineup and played the entire match at center back. Mourad Sami played his first match as goalkeeper for the Panthers, making an important save toward the end of the game to keep the team in the hunt for the win. Playing with an entirely new back line, the Principia Men impressively held the Regents goalless for nearly 90 minutes.
Sophomore Seth Arens scored the first goal to put Principia ahead in the 35th minute. Principia held the momentum of the game, and the majority of goal scoring chances, in the first half. Principia would hold the lead until the 84th minute when the Regents capitalized on a cross to the back post to level the match. The Regents would strike again 4 minutes into the second period of golden goal overtime to claim the win.
Despite the loss, there were a lot of positive takeaways for the Principia Men in their home opener and first game of the regular season. The quality of play ranging from college debutants to experienced veterans is a promising sign of the season to come. The Principia Men will go confidently into their Saturday evening match against Millikin University, which will be another great test for the team.
