GREENVILLE, Ill. – Despite controlling much of the attacking play and outshooting its opponent by a wide margin, the Greenville University men's soccer team fell 1-0 to Blackburn College in a St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match Saturday afternoon at Francis Field.
The Panthers (1-8-1, 0-1-1 SLIAC) generated 13 shots and held a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks but could not find an equalizer against a Blackburn defense that preserved the one-goal victory.
Blackburn scored the match's lone goal in the 29th minute. Grant Eugea finished a setup from Talan Miller and Axel Vasquez at the 28:16 mark, giving the Beavers a 1-0 lead they would not relinquish.
Greenville created several quality chances throughout the contest.
Juan Fernandez-Macias Hijas tested Blackburn goalkeeper Brayden Keys twice in the opening half, while
Manolo Juarez nearly leveled the match in the 20th minute only to see his attempt turned away.
The Panthers continued to push forward after halftime.
William Jorgenvag Collier,
Mattia Monti and
Jahir Jean Baptiste each forced saves from Keys, who finished with eight stops to earn the shutout.
Greenville's best stretch came midway through the second half when consecutive corner kicks created sustained pressure in the Blackburn penalty area. The Panthers finished with eight shots in the final 45 minutes but were unable to break through.
Goalkeeper
Dominick Messer recorded two saves for Greenville and kept the Panthers within striking distance throughout the second half.
Richard Kerwer led Greenville with three shots, while Fernandez-Macias Hijas and Jorgenvag Collier added two shots apiece. Eight of Greenville's 13 attempts were on target.
Blackburn was limited to just four shots in the match, placing three on goal.
The Panthers return to action Wednesday when they host Westminster College.
