BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- The University of St. Francis men's soccer team suffered an 8-0 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference loss at Olivet Nazarene University on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers proved to be too much for the Fighting Saints to handle as the USF defense allowed a total of 27 shot attempts compared to St. Francis' seven. With the loss the Saints fall to 0-6-1 overall and 0-2 in the CCAC.
First Half
Olivet Nazarene (6-2-1, 1-0 CCAC) came out of the gates firing to get the match started, registering two shots and in the first six minutes of play. The Tigers wasted no time in scoring their first goal of the match soon thereafter, notching it past USF keeper
Merlijn van der Veen at the 8:57 mark. The shot by the hosts seemed to fuel an offensive attack as they went on to score three more goals over the next 18 minutes. The Saints went through a bit of a dry spell thereafter until
Rogelio Valles and
Armani Lagunas attempted to answer with USF's only shots of the frame in the 37th and 41st minutes. Both attempts would sail wide and high of the net, resulting in the Tigers locking the score at 4-0 at the break.
Second Half
ONU came out after the break with the same offensive pressure displayed in the first half, scoring four additional goals and holding the Saints scoreless. St. Francis struggled to find its offense in the second half but was able to assemble three more shot attempts than in the opening 45 minutes, while the Eagles totaled 15 in the period to solidify the 8-0 victory.
Olivet Nazarene erupted for 15 total shots on-target in the match, while the Saints registered just four. Van der Veen took the loss in net and had six saves, while
Elio Di Gennero came in later in the second half to record one save.
Up Next
St. Francis will return to action on Tuesday (Sept. 30) as the Saints will host Calumet College of St. Joseph (Ind.) in a CCAC matchup. Kickoff is slated for a 7 pm start at Joliet Memorial Stadium.
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