OWENSBORO, Ky. – Kentucky Wesleyan men's soccer (1-2-0, 0-1-0) opened Great Midwest Athletic Conference play at Panther Field Thursday evening with a 1-4 loss to Lake Erie (2-2-1, 1-0-0). Kentucky Wesleyan finished with seven shots, including two on goal, while Lake Erie recorded 14 shots with nine on frame.
Matteo Graniero finished with four saves for the Panthers, while Patrick Bassett made one save for the Storm.
Mattie McNally had the lone goal for the Panthers while
Jersey Lopez and
Harrison Davey picked up assists.
The Panthers got off to a strong start, taking an early lead in the sixth minute after Lopez found McNally in the center of the box for a tap-in finish. Lake Erie answered less than 10 minutes later through Pavlos Charalambous to even the match at 1-1.
The Storm continued to apply pressure throughout the remainder of the half, but Graniero kept the Panthers within striking distance with a pair of saves.
Kentucky Wesleyan nearly regained the lead late in the half when
Cole Greenshields put a shot on target in the 42nd minute, but Lake Erie goalkeeper Bassett made the save. The Storm then took its first lead of the night just before halftime, with Fabio Juricko scoring in the 44th minute off an assist from Florian Senf.
Lake Erie carried its momentum into the second half, recording two shots and two corner kicks in the opening four minutes. Graniero turned away attempts from Nicolas Vagujhelyi and Kenny Hayles before the Storm extended its lead in the 59th minute. Cal Babiash scored off another assist from Senf to make it a 3-1 match.
The Panthers continued to create opportunities, with Greenshields recording another shot in the 63rd minute and
Cameron Bell adding an attempt in the 68th minute. Lake Erie's defense kept Kentucky Wesleyan from finding the back of the net, however.
The Storm added its fourth goal in the 77th minute when William Hjelte scored off assists from Patrick Bassett and Vagujhelyi. Kentucky Wesleyan continued to battle in the final minutes, but Lake Erie held on for the 4-1 victory.
Up Next
Men's Soccer returns to Panther Field on Saturday, September 12th to face Findlay (4-0-0, 1-0-0). Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT. Tickets can be purchased
online or on-site.
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