BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College men's soccer team lost its first match of the season on Wednesday afternoon, falling to Rosemont College 2-0 on the HUB Quad.
The Greyhounds (2-1) dominated possession early, but scoring chances were hard to come by for both squads. The Ravens (1-1) broke the silence with only a minute remaining in the first half when Luke McIlvaine found himself on the end of a through ball and beat Moravian sophomore goalie Brian Boland to the left side of the net. Rosemont took a 1-0 lead into half, but not before freshman midfielder Rob McKinley ripped a shot that forced a save from the Rosemont goalkeeper.
Rosemont would add an insurance goal in the 86th minute when McIlvaine launched a 40-yard bomb over Boland and the Moravian defense, who were pressing forward as Moravian tried to claw back.
The match on Wednesday marked Moravian's third match in just six days. Head Coach Todd Ervin said that fact may have played into a flat-footed start to the game.
"I thought we came out a little flat and complacent, and we lacked the energy that we had in the first two games," Ervin said. "That hurt us. If we came out with that enthusiasm, we could have been all over them."
Moravian displayed more fine-tuned ball movement and field vision in the second half, but failed to find an equalizer. In the 71st minute, the Harder Twins both had a chance to draw their team even with Rosemont. Sophomore midfielder Brett Harder's shot was blocked and rebounded to Shane Harder, Brett's twin brother and classmate, whose one-time shot was just deflected over the crossbar by the Rosemont keeper.
The ensuing corner kick was put into play by freshman forward Saul Marcial, and set up back-to-back shots from junior forward Shane McCaslin and freshman defender Ian Larimer.
"We moved the ball very well," Ervin said. "Despite not having the energy that we should have, we played decently. How many opportunities did we miss? For the lack of what we did from a playing standpoint, we were also a bit unlucky. One or two plays could have changed the way that game ended."
A first-half shot from freshman midfielder Travis Cifarelli had an eye for goal, but the face of a Rosemont defender got in the way. A few near misses, coupled with a handful of Moravian miscues made the difference on Wednesday, according to the fifth-year Greyhound head coach.
"Limit the mistakes, or they will be the death of you," Ervin told his club.
Moravian will have to rebound on the road on Saturday, September 7, when the Greyhounds invade Immaculata University for a 3 p.m. non-conference matchup.
