Bloomington, ILL. -- The Principia Men's Soccer team traveled to Bloomington, Illinois on Saturday to face the Titans of Illinois Wesleyan. The Panthers entered the match on a three-game win streak, while the Titans hoped to bounce back from tough losses against WashU (L, 1-2) and Greenville (L, 1-2).
The conditions at Neis Field weren't ideal after some heavy rain moved through Bloomington prior to the match. Principia struggled to string passes together in the first half and found themselves under pressure, with the Titans looking to play balls over the top and press.
Ten minutes into the first half, the Titans served a ball into the box that fell to the feet Illinois Wesleyan attack Patrick Hickey who's shot was deflected into the top corner (IWU 1 – 0 PCMS). In the 15 minutes that followed the goal, Principia threatened the goal with a couple of dangerous chances with shots from
Kaleb Keller and
George Agai. Unfortunately the chances weren't converted into goals and with three minutes remaining in the first half another ball fall in the box and Illinois Wesleyan's Logan Servin volleyed in the second goal for the Titans (IWU 2 – 0 PCMS).
Cole Heinbaugh had another standout performance for the Panthers, covering a lot of ground and filling multiple roles at different times in the game.
Patrick Sherman and
Aaron Marczi both made an impact coming off the bench.
In the second half, goals were scored by Doug Ballard and Keagan James of Illinois Weslyean, in the 49
th and 69
th minute respectively. In the end, the Principia Men were still able to take 9 shots with 2 on target. Illinois Wesleyan took 7 shots in the 90 minutes, 5 on target. The Panthers threatened on multiple corners and set play attempts.
In frustrating conditions, the Principia Men's Soccer teamed showed resolve and composure. Converting one of the chances early in the game may have produced a different result, however the Panthers will spend the next week learning from the game and preparing for the rest of the season.
The next matchup for the Principia Men is against Missouri Baptist University on Saturday, September 28
th at Christian Brothers College.
