Holy Cross men’s soccer fell to 2-3 on the season as it recorded its second straight loss. The Saints were defeated 1-0 by Rochester Christian on its home field. They will have an opportunity to snap their losing streak as they host Saint Francis on Tuesday.
Rochester Christian (Mich.)
Entering Saturday’s match, the Rochester Christian Warriors were 0-4 with only one goal on the season. The team opened the season with a three-goal loss to No. 14 Spring Point and overall were defeated by an average of three goals a game.
The Saints entered the contest with an even record, sitting at 2-2. They are looking to build momentum before conference play starts on Sept. 24. Holy Cross hopes to improve on its performance from last season, when it finished seventh in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
The beginning of the match saw a drought of scoring. Isaias Rubio, the senior goalkeeper for the Saints, made multiple impressive athletic plays to keep the ball out of the goal. Having only allowed one goal so far in the season, Rubio played a crucial role in the Saints’ defensive efforts. Rochester’s own senior goalkeeper, Kris Tauzik, held his own on the other side of the field, keeping the contest even through the beginning of the match.
With just over 24 minutes left in the first half, Holy Cross freshman left winger Daniel Alfaro and Rochester Christian freshman defender Boris Lazic jumped for a 50/50 ball. During the play, contact was made, and Alfaro fell to the ground injured. Lazic was issued a red card following the altercation, and Alfaro would miss the rest of the game. Due to the red card, the Saints would play the rest of the match a man down.
The rest of the half was highlighted by more good goalkeeping and a lack of scoring. The teams would head into the break tied at 0-0. The first period made it clear that the rain falling before the game played a major factor. The slick field led to overly strong passes and a few slips.
Entering the second half, the two keepers were still making major contributions to their teams’ chances. Rubio would rack up four saves over the course of the match, and Tauzik would finish with five of his own. However, with 25:30 left in the game, sophomore midfielder Shadrack Onyango was able to slip past the Saints' defense and roll in his first goal of the season.
For the rest of the match, Holy Cross kept up the offensive pressure but ultimately was not able to find the net. As the buzzer sounded, the score remained 1-0 in favor of Rochester Christian.
The Saints recorded 22 shots compared to only nine for the Warriors. Despite having over double the amount of shots, the Saints only had one more shot on goal than the Warriors. Offside penalties often killed offensive momentum for Holy Cross, which accumulated 11 fouls.
Saint Francis (Ind.)
Following the loss, Holy Cross now turns its attention to Saint Francis. The Cougars are 2-4-1 this season and 2-2 on the road. Its wins came over St. Mary-Woods in a 4-2 match and over Defiance College to open the season in a 3-0 shutout. They enter Saturday’s matchup having won their last contest.
The Cougars have 63 shots on goal with 11 goals so far. Junior midfielder Ryusei Matsuhsita and sophomore winger Joshua Jelany lead the team with 5 points each. The Cougars have allowed 14 goals this season and amassed 20 saves.
The Saints will be looking to defend its home field when the match kicks off at 7 p.m. on Sept. 16.
