Men's Soccer Drops Tight Opener to Manchester

CHICAGO, Ill. - The Illinois Tech men's soccer team played the season opener against Manchester University on Friday night, opening up the Illinois Tech Tournament. In an exhilirating finish, the Scarlet Hawks fell 1-0 to the Spartans.

How it Happened

• The first premiere play of the game came courtsey of Illinois Tech. Starting goalkeeper Alex Kern made an incredible diving save off of a set piece shot in the 14th minute.
• Manchester, however, would answer Kern's momentum shifter a few minutes later. A Ben Neiderhelman lead pass found Josh Gonzalez, who punched it in for the first and only goal of the match,
• The Scarlet Hawks outshot the Spartans 4-2 for the remainder of the half, but Manchester's defense held strong to keep it a 1-0 halftime score.
• Corner kicks were the story of the second half, as Illinois Tech generated an astounding nine opportunities. However, the Spartans were able to turn away all nine, including five in the match's final three minutes.
• Tech attempted corner kicks at the 88:30, 88:46, 89:07, and 89:43 marks. Each one ended in a large scrum in front of the net, with Manchester barely holding ground on all tries.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Michael Podsaidly led the team with six shots and four shots on goal.
• Kern made five saves in net.
• Diego Gutierrez Coronel attempted three shots.

Stats to Know

• The final count on corner kicks was 10-1 in favor of Illinois Tech.
• Tech also outshot ManU 19-10 overall and 7-6 on net.
• Fouls were nearly even at 16-15.

Up Next

• The Scarlet Hawks return to action on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. to oppose Simpson College in the Illinois Tech Invite's final match. The Stuart Field match will have live audio, video, and stats available. The live audio will be powered by Illinois Media School.