JOLIET, Ill. -- The University of St. Francis men's soccer team dropped a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference match on Wednesday night, falling to Indiana University Northwest 2-0.  With the loss, the Fighting Saints dropped to 0-5-2 in conference play, while holding an overall record of 4-6-2. 

First Half
St. Francis held the advantage over the RedHawks in the first half, taking 10 shots compared to IUN's eight, but Indiana Northwest was the first to score.  In the 21st minute, after a failed corner kick attempt, the RedHawks were able to reset their offense by regaining possession.  A sharp pass across the middle allowed an IUN striker to connect for a try, but USF defender Victor Sellu was able to block the attempt.  The ball ricocheted out to IUN's Trevon Hamilton, who immediately took another shot at the USF net.  St. Francis keeper Fede Figueredo was able to make a diving save to block that attempt from entering the net, but the rebound fell in front of RedHawk forward Cesar Lopez, who was able to sneak the ball into the opposite corner, giving IUN the 1-0 lead.  After the goal, St. Francis was able to create seven more shot attempts over the remaining 24 minutes, but the RedHawk lead would hold through the halftime break.

Second Half
With the 1-0 lead in hand, Indiana Northwest continued its offensive pursuit to begin the second half by firing off three on-target shots that each found the hands of Figueredo.  Santos Contreras booted St. Francis' first shot of the half before a Sellu shot sailed wide to keep the Saints searching for their first goal.  The RedHawks put the pressure on USF at the 72:02 mark when they scored their second goal of the night.  Two minutes later, St. Francis' efforts looked to pay off, but a great save from IUN keeper Devun Collins would deny an Anthony Derka shot to keep the Saints scoreless.  USF again tried to ramp up the offensive pressure, but the charge was matched by a solid defensive line from the RedHawks as attempts from Pablo Alvarez, Sellu and Dominik Barwiolek all came up short before time ran out resulting in the 2-0 USF loss.

St. Francis posted 18 shots in the match with only four coming on frame, while Indiana Northwest had 19 shots and seven on target.  Sellu led in the shot category for USF with five, while Contreras added four.  Figueredo made five saves and allowed two goals in his 90 minutes of work. 

Up Next
The Saints will seek their first CCAC win on Oct. 22 in a home match against St. Ambrose University.  The contest against the Fighting Bees is slated to begin at 7 pm at Joliet Memorial Stadium.

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