Firebirds Fall to St. Thomas Aquinas, 1-0 in ECC Opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Thomas Aquinas (2-1-1, 1-0 ECC) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
Dist. Columbia (4-1, 0-1 ECC) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Post-Game Interview - Head Coach Matt Thompson
WASHINGTON, DC – The University of the District of Columbia men's soccer team suffered its first loss of the season as the host Firebirds were defeated, 1-0 in their East Coast Conference season opener by St. Thomas Aquinas on Wednesday afternoon.
The Firebirds (4-1, 0-1 ECC) took nearly twice as many shots (20-11) and four times as many corner kicks (12-3), but they were held scoreless for the first time this season. St. Thomas Aquinas improved to 2-1-1 (1-0 ECC) courtesy of a goal by Julius Werner just before the 20-minute mark, and a complete game shutout by goalkeeper Nathan Mangione which included seven saves.
District of Columbia nearly scored several times in the first half, including a bicycle kick by sophomore Elio Hernandez (Health Education – Germantown, MD/Northwest HS) that sailed just right of the goal and a few header attempts by the 6-foot-3 freshman forward Felix Angerer (Business Administration – Bayreuth, Germany/Graj Minster Gymnasium Bayreuth).
The Spartans had their share of chances in the first half as well, but sophomore goalkeeper Louis Connor made four excellent saves to keep it a one-goal game at halftime. Connor would finish the game with a season-high six saves.
District of Columbia kept the pressure on the entire second half, putting five of its eight shots on goal. The Firebirds nearly scored late in the period when junior Byron Brown (Accounting – Silver Spring, MD/Pocono Mountain HS) sent a cross into the box and a scrum for the ball ensued, ending with a shot from point-blank range from senior Bakary Coulibaly (Electrical Engineering – Bamako, Mali/La Lumiere HS) but right into the hands of Mangione.
Ultimately, UDC could not find the equalizer as they fell to STAC for the second consecutive year, once more by a one-goal margin.
The Firebirds will look to bounce back as they host another ECC foe, NYIT on Saturday, September 21st at 1 p.m. Saturday's game is the third annual Soccer Youth Day, where the coaching staff and players will host a clinic from 10:30-11:30 a.m. and then an autograph session before the game.