BOCA RATON, Fla. – The University of West Alabama men's soccer team dropped a hard-fought road contest Saturday afternoon, falling 2-1 to No. 1 ranked Lynn University at Bobby Campbell Stadium.
"Although the result didn't go our way today, I'm so proud of my players," said head coach Ross Nelson. "The effort and desire shown was outstanding. We just took the number one team in the nation right down to the wire and in the end we were extremely unlucky not get the result. We can take so much confidence from that, and from what I've seen so far we can compete with any one!"
After a scoreless first half, the Tigers broke through in the 60th minute when David Nunez netted his second goal of the season. Nunez took a switch from Clement Baron, settled the ball, and finished to the bottom right corner off the post. Kyllian Sylla was also credited with an assist on the play.
The Fighting Knights responded quickly, as Martijn Smith scored twice in the span of 18 minutes. His first goal came in the 65th minute off a cross, and he later struck again in the 83rd minute on a through ball to secure the win for Lynn.
Lynn controlled much of the match statistically, outshooting West Alabama 16-2 and holding an 11-2 advantage in corner kicks. Goalkeeper CharlieWalker made four saves in net to keep the Tigers within striking distance.
With the result, West Alabama moves to 0-2-0 on the young season. The Tigers now turn their attention to their home opener on Wednesday, Sept. 10, against Carson-Newman. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. at UWA Soccer Field.
