GREENVILLE, Ill. — The Greenville men's soccer team carried a two-goal lead into halftime, but Washington University in St. Louis rallied with three second-half goals to hand the Panthers a 3-2 setback Tuesday night at Francis Field.
The Panthers (1-7-1) came out aggressively and capitalized on their early opportunities against the Bears (6-1-2). Greenville struck first in the 16th minute when Bence Nagy finished a chance created by William Jorgenvag Collier, giving the home side a 1-0 advantage.
Greenville doubled its lead in the 31st minute. William Carlson Webb found the back of the net after a Panthers attack, pushing the margin to 2-0 and sending Greenville into halftime with momentum.
WashU controlled much of the second half and began its comeback in the 61st minute. Ethan Wirtschafter scored at 60:50 to cut the deficit to 2-1, then struck again less than three minutes later off an assist from Casper Leary to level the match at 2-2.
The Bears continued to apply pressure and found the winner in the 83rd minute when Sebastian Valdes converted another setup from Leary, giving WashU its first lead of the evening at 3-2.
Greenville goalkeeper Miguel Valcarce Gomez made two saves, while WashU keeper Cal L'Hommedieu recorded one stop. The Bears finished with an 11-5 advantage in shots and a 9-2 edge in corner kicks.
Nagy and Carlson Webb accounted for Greenville's two goals, while Jorgenvag Collier recorded the Panthers' lone assist. Pablo Canola added Greenville's only other shot on goal.
Greenville (1-7-1) will continue their season with conference play on Saturday at home against Blackburn at 1 p.m.
