Illinois Springfield men's soccer fell to Missouri S&T by a score of 4-2 on Saturday night. The Prairie Stars scored twice in the first half but were held scoreless after halftime. The Miners are currently receiving votes, but have been ranked as high as 13th in NCAA DII this fall.
Illinois Springfield struck first in the 11th minute when senior
Carter Downen scored the first goal of his career, following up on a rebound from the Missouri S&T goalkeeper. The Springfield native broke through with a memorable finish against a strong Miners team to give UIS an early 1-0 lead. Missouri S&T answered with two goals to move ahead 2-1, while
Joe Brudnak made four saves in the half.
Gentil Selemani equalized at 43:12, sending the teams to halftime tied 2-2.
The Prairie Stars held a 2-2 match deep into the second half, but Missouri S&T went in front on Juliano Costa's 84:37 goal off Jake Salazar-Blair's assist and added Kellen Douglas' goal at 89:16 to finish a 4-2 result. Earlier,
Joe Brudnak kept Illinois Springfield level with six saves in the half, including stops during Missouri S&T pressure from the 56th through the 78th minute. The Prairie Stars' top attacking push came soon after halftime, when
Carter Downen and
Leo Sanches took shots around a corner kick, with Sanches' attempt saved at 55:33.
Joe Brudnak recorded 11 saves while playing all 90 minutes in goal.
"Overall, it's a disappointing result. We created enough chances in each half to win the game," said head coach
Graham Shaw. "We showed a lot of fight and commitment, and we matched that with quality. It's unfortunate to lose the game so late on a long-throw set piece. I can't fault the effort and commitment the guys are showing right now. It's a long season with lots still to play for."
Up next, the Prairie Stars visit Quincy on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 7:30 p.m.
