Mt. Vernon, Ohio — After winning the season opener 2-0 against Taylor on Wednesday, the Aquinas men's soccer team was dealt a 2-0 on the road Saturday evening (Aug. 27) against Mount Vernon Nazarene. The Saints first loss dropped them to 1-1-0 while the Cougars stayed unbeaten at 3-0-0.
A whistle-controlled first half didn't exactly go the Saints' way.
Goalkeeper
Antonio Strassioto was tested early in the 8th minute, but made a critical diving save to his right off a shot from Jordan McMahon. AQ defender
Andrea Ghiggini made a pair of key tackles to protect Strassioto a few minutes later.
The Saints then showed some life with
Fin Pittock making moves through the midfield to set up a shot for
Ricardo Rittersberger that was cleared off the line by a Cougars' defender after getting past MVNU goalkeeper Joshua Dunn.
Rittersberger's frustration got the better of him a minute later when he ran through Dunn to pick up the Saints first yellow card. The Saints were shown four yellow cards in the first half. While the two sides ended up combining for 10 yellow cards altogether (seven AQ, three MVNU) in the highly physical affair that featured 30 fouls.
MVNU took advantage of a Saints defensive misstep in the 16th minute to score the opening goal. Keon Boney provided the tidy finish with Ryan Walters providing the assist. It snapped the Saints' 105-minute opponent's scoreless streak to open the new season.
The Cougars doubled up in the 37th minute to take a 2-0 lead in halftime. The goal came on a half-volley strike by freshman Tiago DeJesus. The assist went to Joshua Sitney, who also assisted DeJesus' first collegiate goal on Wednesday.
Aquinas got more shots off on Dunn in the second half, but Dunn kept his clean sheet intact by making nine saves. The Saints actually outshot the Cougars 17-13 (10-4 shots on target) but couldn't find the back of the net. The last time AQ was shutout was on Oct. 16, 2021, against UNOH, 2-0.
The Saints return to action next Wednesday, August 31, with their home opener at the Aquinas College Athletic Field against Saint Xavier (1-2-0). AQ currently holds a three-game winning streak at home after finishing strong in front of their home supporters last season.
