Contact: Ashleigh Jones, Sports Information Graduate Assistant
 
Sept. 23, 2017- The North Central College men's soccer team struggled to connect in its' 1-0 loss to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville this evening. With the weather playing a role in pushing the game back from its original time of 1 PM, both teams seemed to be affected by the incredibly hot second day of fall.
 
With the Cardinals starting the half with the ball, there was a definite sense of urgency in getting ahead early in the game. By the 11-minute mark, North Central had made two impressive attempts at goal and successfully hindered any advancements towards its own goal.
 
Despite the constant ball movement between both teams, the Pioneers were regularly in possession of the ball and won many of the settles following a clear. By out-shooting the Cardinals 9-3, University of Wisconsin-Platteville kept North Central on its' toes, yet the game itself was much more exciting than the score depicts.
 
Multiple times the Cardinals' creativity by the offensive line led to incredibly opportunistic crosses. Unfortunately, miscommunication played a factor in many of the missed goal attempts.
 
With over half of the first period completed most of the game seemed to be played at midfield, with each team planning its next attack. However, at the 36th-minute, the Pioneers saw a chance to forge through North Central's defensive line and in successfully discovering a path to the goal, University of Wisconsin-Platteville scored giving them a 1-0 lead.
 
Entering the second half down, was not something the Cardinals' were worried about and having such an incentive to even out the score North Central came out the gates ready to play.
 
Junior Gavin Sanchez played a particularly energetic game both in the first and second half. With four shots recorded for the game, three of which were headers that were just too close for comfort for the Pioneers. Though Sanchez's attempts did not find the back of the net, the versatility and potential danger of the Cardinals' forwards was once again showcased.
 
As the game continued late into the second half, the Cardinals took over the game, finessing passes through the Platteville's defense and once again setting themselves up to tie the game.
 
Regardless of North Centrals energy in the closing moments of the match, the Pioneers tactfully chewed away time following a corner kick leaving the Cardinals with practically no time to muster up a last-ditch chance to play in overtime.
 
North Central returns home on Tuesday, September 26th at 7 PM, against Central College, looking to earn its first win at home before the start of conference play. Support the Cardinals at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium or follow our live stats HERE.