Bees Hand Mustangs First Loss of the Season
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mount Mercy (2-1-1) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
St. Ambrose (IA) (3-0-0) | 2 | 1 | 3 |
DAVENPORT, Iowa — Mount Mercy University struck first but could not hold the advantage, conceding three unanswered goals in a 3-1 loss to St. Ambrose on Saturday afternoon.
The Mustangs (2-1-1) opened the scoring in the 16th minute when Danilo Obradovic converted from the penalty spot, giving Mount Mercy an early 1-0 lead. Obradovic was active in the attack, registering two of the Mustangs' six shots on goal.
St. Ambrose (3-0-0) responded with an equalizer in the 30th minute. Jake Pollock finished off a chance created by Jörn Reck, slotting past goalkeeper Zach Biggs to even the match. Less than three minutes later, Gus Stevens capitalized on a defensive lapse and put the Fighting Bees ahead 2-1.
Mount Mercy created several chances to level the match before halftime. Leon Pozo struck the post in the 35th minute, and Tomas Parra Reyna tested goalkeeper Dawson Yegge with two shots on target. Despite outshooting St. Ambrose 6-5 in the first half, the Mustangs entered the break trailing.
In the second half, Mount Mercy pressed higher and produced nine more shots, but Yegge recorded five saves to preserve the Bees' lead. The Mustangs nearly broke through again when Nico Woertz hit the post in the 60th minute. Pablo Ortega Herrero and Obradovic also forced saves from Yegge during sustained pressure in the final half hour.
St. Ambrose added an insurance goal in the 81st minute when Joe Campbell struck unassisted to make it 3-1. Mount Mercy pushed numbers forward late, earning three corner kicks in the final 10 minutes, but could not convert.
Biggs made two first-half saves before being replaced at halftime by Ignacio Querencia, who conceded just once in his 45 minutes. Mount Mercy was whistled for 15 fouls and received four yellow cards in the physical contest.
The Mustangs finished with a 15-11 edge in shots, though St. Ambrose held a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks.
The Mustangs will return home to take on Judson in the final non-conference test on Wednesday before Heart play begins next weekend.