JOLIET, Ill. -- The University of St. Francis men's soccer team dropped a non-conference match on Saturday afternoon, falling to Cornerstone University 2-0.  With the loss, the Fighting Saints dropped to 0-4-1 on the season, while the Golden Eagles improved to 2-2.

First Half
Cornerstone held the advantage over the Saints in the first 18 minutes of play, taking six shots compared to USF's two.  In the 19th minute, the Golden Eagles got the scoring started after they were able to reset their offense by regaining possession.  A sharp pass ahead from Steven Stidham allowed CU striker Calvin Curtis to connect for a goal, that sailed past starting USF goalkeeper Elio Di Gennaro.  After the goal, St. Francis was able to create six more shot attempts over the remaining 25 plus minutes, but the Golden Eagle lead would hold through the halftime break.

Second Half
With the 1-0 lead in hand, Cornerstone continued its offensive pursuit to begin the second half by firing off an unsuccessful on-target shot just one minute into action.  A USF foul in the box in the 51st minute, however, would allow for CU's second goal of the day with Di Gennaro unable to make the save.  Two minutes later, St. Francis authored a scoring opportunity of their own, but a save from CU keeper Roberto Gutierrez would deny a Jonathan Mendez shot to keep the Saints scoreless.  The Golden Knights controlled possession the majority of the minutes thereafter, claiming nine of the match's last 10 shot attempts, with USF's final offensive charge being matched by a solid defensive line from the Golden Eagles as an attempt from Antwan Esparza came up short before time ran out resulting in the 2-0 USF loss.

St. Francis posted 10 shots in the match with only three coming on frame, while Cornerstone had 20 shots and nine on target.  Esparza led in the shot category for USF with four, while Mendez and Max Gaudry each added two apiece.  Di Gennaro made seven saves and allowed two goals in his 90 minutes of work.

Up Next
The Saints will have 10 days of rest before opening up Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference action on Sept. 24 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.

You can keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on X @USFSaints.