Miami Gardens, FL – The struggles for the St. Thomas men's soccer team continued as they lost to the Thomas University Night Hawks 3-0 on Friday. After beginning the season with three consecutive wins, the Bobcats have gone on to lose five straight, with this three goal defeat being their worst of the season.
The game was much closer than the score suggests, as STU was actually the more dominant offensive team through out the match. The Bobcats compiled 17 shots, and were able to direct 8 of those attempts toward goal, yet were ultimately unable to finish on any of those opportunities. Forward Jaisen Labrada saw his first action since early in the season, and his impact was immediately felt on the offensive end. He finished the game with only one shot attempt, but had a number of solid runs and passes that produce opportunities for his teammates.
Thiago Rocha and Dale Arendse each had four shots to lead the Bobcat offense, but were able to guide any of their three combined shots on goal into the net. Gabe Renteria was also extremely active up front for STU, and even though he only had one shot on goal, he and Labrada made the Night Hawk defense work hard all afternoon.
In the end, the defense was stellar for the 'Hawks, and their opportunistic offense provided them with a lead that they would not relinquish. Jonathan Williams scored on both of his two shots in the 55th and 63rd minutes, and Jonah Mukada recorded three shots on goal with one finding the back of the net in the 27th minute.
Goalie Jan Feldman led the Night Hawk defense with six saves, and his back row helped him out as well with two crucial team saves while the game was still close in the second half. The Night Hawks also fought off four corner kicks from the Bobcats to record their second straight shutout of the season.
The tight officiating of the game led to a combined 35 fouls being called, and 9 yellow cards between the teams. Although there were no ejections, the play was greatly restricted by the officiating crew and no sustained offensive fluidity was held by either side.
St. Thomas now looks to turn their season around on the road, with four consecutive away matches against Embry-Riddle, Saint Xavier, Flagler, and Barry Universities over the next three weeks. The Bobcats next home match is October 18th against Sun Conference foe Johnson & Whales University.
