HOUSTON, TX— The St. Thomas men's soccer team suffered a 3–1 setback at home against North American University. Despite creating numerous chances on offense in a physical, high-intensity game, the Celts couldn't pull ahead making their record 0-1.
North American University opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when their player found the back of the net off, giving NAU a 1–0 lead going into halftime.
St. Thomas kept up the attack in the second half as the physical play began to pick up on both sides. The work paid off in the 62nd minute when Diego Guerra scored off an assist from Tony Castro to tie the game at 1–1.
After the Celts tied it up, they kept the pressure and intensity up, resulting in six yellow cards and a red card being issued in the second half alone. After NAU answered back in the 69th minute with a goal, St. Thomas was forced to play a man down in the final minutes after Nicolas Briet received a red card in the 74th minute. NAU took advantage shortly after, adding a goal in the 77th minute to push the final score to 3–1.
The Celts outshot NAU 24–15, placing 14 of those attempts on goal to NAU's 6, while NAU's goalkeeper recorded 13 saves to limit the damage.
Match Notes:
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Goals: Diego Guerra (62')
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Assists: Tony Castro (62')
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Shots: UST 24 (14 on goal), NAU 15 (6 on goal)
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Saves: NAU 13, UST 3
Up Next:The Celts remain at home for their next match up at SaberCats Stadium against McMurry University on September 10 at 7:30 PM.. Follow the team at www.ustcelts.com or on Instagram @ustathletics and @ustmsoccer for game times, live stream links, and updates.
