The Purple Aces were shutout for the first time this season
CINCINATTI – The University of Evansville men’s soccer team was kept out of the net for the first time in 2024 in a 2-0 loss to the Xavier Musketeers.
The Purple Aces defense was tested in their third of four straight road games in Cincinnati. Graduate forward Sami Owusu (Denver / Dayton) was the only UE player with multiple shots while senior midfielder Jose Vivas (Teruel, Spain) had the only chance on net. Freshman goalkeeper Michal Mroz (Elk Grove, Ill. / Elk Grove HS) made three saves in the loss.
Evansville’s offense struggled in the first half with two offside’s calls in the first 13 minutes of action. The Aces didn’t find the offensive zone until two thirds into the first half as Owusu launched a ball just high of the goal in the 33rd minute. Xavier dominated play in the first 45 minutes with six shots. The final shot ended up in the back of the net for the Musketeers in the 42nd minute, putting UE down by one going into the second half.
The start of the second half played out in similar fashion for Evansville as Xavier scored a long goal in the 49th minute to put the Aces down by two. The match’s pace slowed down after the goal as both teams fought for the ball in the midfield. UE’s offense came alive in the 71st minute with four straight shots at the net.
Vivas chance came in the 74th minute after he stripped the ball from a Musketeer defender. He took the ball all the way into the 12 and fired. But the shot was saved by Xavier’s goalkeeper coming out of the net to make the save with a slide tackle. Sophomore winger Auden Engen Vik (Tondheim, Norway) took a shot on the rebound, but it was blocked by a Musketeer. Vik’s blocked shot in the 75th minute ended up being Evansville’s final opportunity of the night.
The Aces return to Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday. UE will have its last of four away games in Peoria to take on Bradley. Kick-off for Evansville’s return to conference play on September 28th is set for 7 p.m.
