DALLAS, Pa. - The Ursinus College men's soccer team fell 2-1 on Tuesday evening in their final nonconference match of the season against Misericordia University at Mangelsdorf Field.
The loss drops the Bears to 8-6-2 overall, while the Cougars improve to 8-7-2 on the season.
Both teams traded scoring opportunities early in the game, making for a back-and-forth affair. However, two of the top defenses in their respective conferences held strong, keeping the game scoreless for most of the first half.
In the 44th minute, Misericordia broke through on a counterattack when Hayden Dallam's shot slipped past a diving save attempt to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead. Misericordia took that advantage into halftime, along with a 7-4 edge in shots.
The Bears attempted to battle back in the second half, generating multiple corner kicks, including shots on goal by seniors
Mason Lorah and
Matthew McFadden. However, the Cougars extended their lead with a goal in the 55th minute. On the play, a free kick was sent into the box, where Misericordia's Nolan Keane connected on a header to give the Cougars a 2-0 advantage.
In the 70th minute, first-year
Ryan O'Neill helped the Bears cut the deficit. After an initial shot by senior
Simon Muther was deflected by the Cougars' goalkeeper, O'Neill corralled the loose ball and scored his third goal of the season to make it 2-1.
Senior
Matthew Lohr, first-year
Anthony Delgado, and sophomore
Nicholas Grippa each recorded shots on goal for the Bears over the remainder of the contest, but the Cougars denied each chance, resulting in the 2-1 final.
Ursinus held a 22-10 advantage in shots and a 12-4 edge in shots on goal. The Bears also held a 10-0 lead in corner kicks. Misericordia's goalkeeper Christian Mazza earned the win with 11 saves, while sophomore goalkeeper
Jaden Ottley took the loss with two saves.
Ursinus will return to action Friday, traveling to Baltimore to face Johns Hopkins University at 7 p.m. in its regular-season finale.
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