STARKEY BRACE NOT ENOUGH AS LANCERS FALL 4–2 TO BRIAR CLIFF
YANKTON, S.D. — The Mount Marty University men's soccer team suffered a hard-fought 4–2 defeat to Briar Cliff University on Sunday afternoon in Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) action at Crane Youngworth Stadium.
Despite a multi-goal effort from striker James Starkey, the Chargers pulled away with a three-goal second-half push, dropping the Lancers to 4–6–1 overall and 1–4–0 in GPAC play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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15' (BCU 1, MMU 0) — Briar Cliff broke through first in the 15th minute when Tobias Noack put home a setup from Alejandro Illan to give the Chargers a 1–0 advantage.
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37' (MMU 1, BCU 1) — Mount Marty answered before the break as James Starkey seized on an unassisted opportunity in the 37th minute, beating the keeper to level the match at 1–1 heading into halftime.
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48' (BCU 2, MMU 1) — The Chargers struck quickly coming out of the interval, with Illan finding the back of the net off a pass from Ignacio Barrios under three minutes into the second half.
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59' (BCU 3, MMU 1) — Briar Cliff expanded its margin in the 59th minute when Christ Kaminar converted a feed from Mario Granjo to make it 3–1.
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78' (BCU 3, MMU 2) — Mount Marty brought the match back within reach in the 78th minute when goalkeeper Andrew Smith picked up a rare assist, connecting with Starkey for his second goal of the match to pull the Lancers within one.
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86' (BCU 4, MMU 2) — The Chargers put the game out of reach in the 86th minute as Leon Hesselbarth scored off a setup from Gaizka Hashimoto to lock down the 4–2 result.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE Briar Cliff held the territorial and shooting advantage throughout the match, outshooting Mount Marty 17–5 overall and placing 13 shots on target compared to four for the Lancers. The Chargers also held a 6–2 edge in corner kicks in a physical match that featured six yellow cards.
In goal, Andrew Smith made nine saves under heavy pressure across 90 minutes for Mount Marty while adding an assist on the offensive end. Briar Cliff netminder Lucas Attanasio earned the win with two saves.
LANCER LEADERS
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James Starkey: Provided all the offensive punch for the Lancers, converting both of his shot attempts for a two-goal performance.
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Andrew Smith: Stood tall against 13 shots on frame to record nine saves while assisting on Starkey's second goal.
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Jack D'Amore & Steven Mambo: Provided secondary attacking chances, with D'Amore putting his sole attempt on target.
