Cougars Suffer Heartbreaking Loss to Marian Knights
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Marian (4-6-2, 1-2-1) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (7-5-1, 0-4) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – On Saturday afternoon the University of Saint Francis Cougars (7-5-1; 0-4 Crossroads) played host to the Marian University Knights (4-6-2; 1-2-1 Crossroads) at Bishop D'Arcy Stadium and fell 3-2 as the Knights scored three in the second half.
In addition to Saturday's game, the Cougars also hosted International Day by honoring 20 different countries represented by nearly 30 members of the team before the contest as well as many different countries represented throughout the student body.
In the opening minutes of the game both teams battled each other back-and-forth. Then the Cougars took advantage of a scoring opportunity as junior midfielder Enrique Subiran dribbled the ball around a couple defenders and knocked it into the net for his fourth goal of the season to give Saint Francis a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute.
Throughout the remainder of the first half the Cougars and Knights battled each other exchanging scoring opportunities, and freshman goalkeeper Joe Deitering stepped up and made some great saves to keep the Cougars in the lead.
The game went to halftime with Saint Francis ahead 1-0.
Heading into the second half the Knights answered back though. A foul by the Cougars within 20 feet of the net allowed for a penalty kick for Marian, and they knocked it past Deitering to tie the game at one in the 51st minute.
Not too long after that, the Cougars answered back as Subiran made a nice pass across the goal to sophomore midfielder Simon Hemler who knocked it into the net in the 61st minute to give the Cougars the lead back 2-1.
The Cougars continued to battle but in the final 15 minutes, things fell apart. The Knights got the ball down field and sank the game-tying goal in the 75th minute. Less than three minutes later in the 78th minute, the Knights took their first lead of the game with their third goal and putting the Cougars in a dire situation.
A couple more scoring chances went to no avail as the Cougars suffered the tough loss.
The Cougars resume play on Wednesday evening when they travel to Spring Arbor, Michigan to take on the Spring Arbor University Cougars (4-3-4; 1-0-2 Crossroads) beginning at 7:00 pm.
Cougar fans, stay updated with all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting Saintfranciscougars.com or by downloading the Saint Francis Cougars app.