Box Score EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The SIUE men's soccer team dropped a closely-contested match in its regular season home opener Friday night, falling 2-1 in overtime to Cincinnati.
The Cougars (3-2-0) grabbed an early lead when freshman Andrew Kendall-Moullin scored his first collegiate goal in the second minute of play.
But Cincinnati (2-3-0) would battle back, as Brad Miguel scored the equalizer in the 65th minute before Ashani Walker scored the game winner with a penalty kick in extra time.
The teams were evenly-matched throughout the game, with the Bearcats holding a slight advantage in shots (11-9) while corner kicks were even at 5-5. SIUE goalkeeper John Berner made four saves in net for the Cougars.
Despite a late kickoff, SIUE got off to the perfect start when Kendall-Moullin scored his first goal in a Cougar uniform within the game's opening two minutes.
Lewis Ellis swung in a corner kick from the left side, which Matt Polster met with a glancing header to the far post. Polster's effort was cleared off the line by a Bearcat defender, but the rebound went right to Kendall-Moullin, who smashed a one-time effort back across goal to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
The score stayed that way heading into halftime, but Cincinnati responded in the second half as Miguel put the Bearcats on level terms in the 65th minute to tie the game at 1-1.
SIUE increased the pressure after the visitors' goal and created several chances that could have been decisive, but Walker scored the game-winning penalty shortly after the match went into extra time.
The Cougars will look to bounce back when they hit the road for a matchup with Omaha on Tuesday. Game time is scheduled for 5 p.m.
