COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College men's soccer team could not overcome a 2-0 first half deficit, falling to No. 25 Franklin & Marshall College, 3-1 on Wednesday evening from Patterson Field.
 

With the loss, Ursinus moved to 6-2 on the season and 1-2 in Centennial Conference play. Meanwhile, the Diplomats improved to 6-1-2 overall and 1-0-2 in conference action.

 
The Diplomats tallied the first scoring chance during the 5^th minute as they were awarded a penalty kick after the Bears committed a foul just inside the box on the far side of the field. Franklin & Marshall's Oscar Horwitz stepped up and delivered a line drive shot on the ground towards the right post to give the Diplomats an early 1-0 advantage. Ursinus nearly responded with the equalizer during the sixth minute, but senior Tommy Mollis and junior Luke Luehrs each had their shots blocked by the Diplomats back line. The Bears defense continued to play well as F&M recorded the next three scoring opportunities, but junior goalkeeper Zach Matik and the Bears defense denied each chance. At the 17:46 mark, Mollis created space and nearly scored the equalizer, but his shot was saved by Levi Kline in goal. The Diplomats added an insurance goal during the 27^th minute capitalizing on a failed clear attempt by the Bears defense to extend their lead to two. Matik and the Bears defense bounced back before halftime recording two more saves as Ursinus trailed by two heading into the break.

 
After the halftime adjustments, sophomore forward Julian Faust almost added the Bears first goal, but his shot missed wide left at the 45:17-mark. The Diplomats extended their lead to three during the 58^th minute when F&M's Koa Kaliebe connected on a free kick opportunity just outside the box. Kaliebe's shot ricocheted off Matik's gloves and into the net for the Diplomats third goal of the net. The Bears and Mollis would answer when the senior forward delivered a goal on a free kick opportunity during the 64^th minute. Just outside the box and 28-yards away, Mollis sent an arching line drive kick over the Diplomats line and past the outstretched goalie to cut the deficit to two. For Mollis, he is now tied for the team lead with five goals on the season. Each team struggled to create many scoring chances after the Bears cut the deficit to two with both defenses standing tall and denying each opportunity, resulting in the 3-1 victory for the Diplomats.
 

Franklin & Marshall held a 23-9 edge in shots, but just a 9-5 advantage in shots on goal. Kline earned the victory in net for the Diplomats recording four saves, while Matik was dealt the loss for Ursinus finishing with six saves. Mollis paced the Bears offense with three shots on goal, while Deal and Curran each recorded one shot on net.
 

The Bears return to action on Saturday, September 30^th as they travel to Chestertown, Maryland for a Centennial Conference matchup against Washington College at 4 p.m.