SPRING ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of St. Francis men's soccer team suffered its first loss of the 2025 season on Wednesday afternoon with a 4-0 defeat to NAIA No. 14-ranked Spring Arbor University (Mich.).  The shutout, SAU's third of the season, pushed the Cougars' record to 3-0 on the year, while the Fighting Saints fell to 0-1-1.

First Half
The first half saw lots of offensive pressure from Spring Arbor with the Cougars rattling off the first six shots of the match, but SAU could not cash in as a solid defensive line from USF forced four of those tries to sail high of the net.  The seventh attempt, however, told a different story with SAU weaving through the USF backline in the 24th minute to push its first score past starting USF goalkeeper Elio Di Gennaro.  St. Francis responded by holding the hosts to just two more shots the remainder of the frame, maintaining its deficit at 1-0 heading into the halftime break.

Second Half
Good defense was displayed from both squads during the first 13 minutes of the second half as each team was only able to get off one shot.  After a SAU header missed high of the net in the 58th minute, the Cougars opened the floodgates two minutes later, scoring three goals over the next 12 minutes to extend the score to 4-0.  Needing to respond, the Saints tried to pick up their offensive pressure the remainder of the period, but the Cougars' defense proved too much for USF and did not allow the Saints to register any more shots during the remainder of the game.

Jonathan Mendez and Benisio Gamino led the Saints with one shot on goal apiece in the match, while Juan Jimenez and Antwan Esparza both registered one shot off-target.  Merlijn van der Veen took over the reigns in the net for the Saints in the second half, allowing three goals in the frame.  

On the day, SAU outshot the Saints 22-4 and had seven corner kicks compared to USF's two.  Di Gennaro collected three saves in the net for USF, while van der Veen amassed five.

Up Next
The Saints are back in action on Saturday, Aug. 30 with a home matchup against Indiana University Columbus.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm at Joliet Memorial Stadium.

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