The Rockhurst men's soccer team put together a strong offensive effort Saturday (Oct. 10) night, but came up just short in a 1-0 loss to Missouri-St. Louis at Don Dallas Field.
The Hawks (4-5-4, 3-3-4 GLVC) outshot the Tritons 13-11, including a 7-4 advantage in shots on goal, but were unable to find the back of the net despite several quality scoring opportunities throughout the match.
Rockhurst came out attacking early, with Blake Barrick testing UMSL goalkeeper Will Winkler twice in the opening minutes. Barrick placed shots on goal in the eighth and 12th minutes, but Winkler turned away both attempts to keep the match scoreless.
Freshman goalkeeper Luke Strueby continued his strong play in net for the Hawks, making two first-half saves. Strueby stopped Benjamin Ocampo's attempt in the 16th minute before denying Santi Masis in the 28th minute.Â
Rockhurst continued creating opportunities as the half progressed. Jacob Phillips forced another save in the 28th minute, while Troy Lor put a shot on target in the 34th minute. The Hawks finished the opening 45 minutes with five shots, four on goal, as the teams entered halftime tied 0-0.
Rhys Laws nearly gave Rockhurst the lead in the 56th minute, sending a shot toward the bottom-left corner that Winkler managed to stop. Lor followed with another attempt just over a minute later.
The Tritons eventually broke through in the 67th minute when Connor Randel scored off an assist from Ocampo at the 66:04 mark, giving UMSL a 1-0 advantage.
Phillips fired a shot on goal in the 74th minute that Winkler saved, and Ozonna Ugbaja followed just eight seconds later with another attempt toward the bottom-right corner that was also turned away.
The Hawks came inches away from equalizing in the 76th minute during a wild sequence in front of goal. Connor Gaarder struck the crossbab, and just a few seconds later, Nicolas Schrag followed with another shot that also hit the woodwork. Despite the two near misses, Rockhurst continued pushing forward. Barrick added another attempt in the 81st minute, helping the Hawks finish with eight second-half shots.
Barrick and Phillips led the Rockhurst attack with three shots apiece, including two on goal each. Strueby played all 90 minutes in goal, finishing with three saves. The freshman has now allowed just one goal over his last three matches, which included a nine-save shutout against Maryville and an 11-save performance in a scoreless draw at No. 11 Drury.
UMSL goalkeeper Will Winkler recorded seven saves to preserve the shutout for the Tritons, who improved to 5-5-2 overall and 4-4-2 in GLVC play.
