The Malone University men's soccer team fell by a final score of 1-0 in its Great Midwest Athletic Conference opener against Davis & Elkins College on Tuesday night at Canton Central Catholic High School.

On a hot and humid evening, the Pioneers battled hard for the full 90 minutes against a talented Senators' team that was ranked 25th in the NSCAA NCAA Division II Preseason National Poll and advanced to the second round of last fall's NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament.

The lone goal of Tuesday's match came in the 11th minute of play when Davis & Elkins' Carlos Cruza gathered in a long goal kick from Senator keeper Richard Glemawu and then fired a shot to the far post.

The Pioneers had several scoring chances late in the first half and during the final frame but were unable to find the equalizer.

The physical match featured 40 fouls and seven different players received a yellow card.

Davis & Elkins (2-0 overall, 1-0 G-MAC) held a 24-4 edge in total shots and an 11-1 advantage in shots on goal. 

Pioneer goalkeeper Alexandre Durand made 10 saves.

Up Next
Malone, now 0-3 overall, will be back in action on Thursday night with a 5:00 pm match at Ohio Dominican University.