PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - - The Wilmington University men's soccer team came into today's contest scoring 3.5 goals per game, but the offense was stalled as the team dropped its first match of the season, 2-1, to Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference foe Jefferson on Wednesday at Ravenhill Field.
The Wildcats (7-1-3, 5-1-1 CACC) eventually outshot the Rams (5-4-1, 4-2-1 CACC), 14-11, but none of their eight shots on goal found the back of the net. A Ram own-goal tied the contest, 1-1, in the 71st minute.
The Rams were the one to come fast out of the gates, as they had the game's firsttwo shots, forcing Vinny Tasca to make a save in the third minute resulting in a Jefferson corner.
Davion Wedderburn put the first shot on frame for the Wildcats in the 25th minute, but their next shots on goal didn't come until the final five minutes of the half. Will Stone, Dominic Folarin, and Stone again put consecutive shots on frame in the 34th minute, but Ram netminder Kris Donaldson came up with all three saves.
Fredrik Bentdal had the opening shot of the second half, but Donaldson again came up with the stop.
The Rams came up with a barrage of shots in the 66th minute, with the third chance getting behind Tasca. Charlie Livesey's shot at the 65:02 mark hit the crossbar before Rashaan Robe's shot was saved. But Tasca couldn't corral the rebound and Val Mokrejs was there to for the goal and the 1-0 lead 65:39 into the match.
The Wildcats quickly answered however, as Manuel Ruiz Luque had the first shot following the goal. The Wildcats kept the pressure on and the ball wound up in the back of the net last controlled by the Rams' Connor Gonzaga for the own goal.
The Wildcats continued to press, as Daniel Loyo and Wedderburn collected shots and the team played two corners, but couldn't find the go ahead mark. The Rams capitalized in the 80th minute to take the lead, getting a blast from outside the 18-yard box by Ian Lake that snuck under the crossbar for the 2-1 lead.
Wilmington quickly earned a corner and threatened down the stretch with another corner, an Ellis McSharry header, and a last ditch effort from Tom Garratt that sailed high with four seconds to play.
Tasca made six saves for the Wildcats while Donaldson made eight saves for the Rams. Wedderburn and Stone led the team with two shots on goal each.
The Wildcats look to get back in the win column with their next CACC contest, as they travel to Post on Saturday. The opening whistle is set for 2:30 p.m. at LaMoy Field.
