Men's soccer drops 2-0 decision to Luther

DECORAH, Iowa - A pair of first half goals proved too much of a deficit for the Simpson men's soccer team in a 2-0 loss at No. 7 Luther on Saturday.

Josh Galvin headed in a serve from Martin Stalberger in the second minute and Matheus Beato added an insurance score in the 44th minute for the Norse (10-1, 2-1 Iowa Conference).

Despite the 2-0 tally, the teams played evenly throughout the contest. Each team took 12 shots and each team tried six corner kicks.

Simpson actually held an 8-6 advantage in shots on goal, but couldn't come away with a score.

"This was yet another match that could have gone either way," said head coach Rick Isaacson, referring to a 4-3 loss to Wartburg in the conference opener. "We've been on the wrong side of a couple of hard fought games recently. It's discouraging we coudn't find ways to win, but we'll bounce back."

Marcus Varnum and Mitchell White put two shots on goal apiece for the Storm (9-5, 1-2). Zach McEntee made four saves.

Luther's goalkeeping duo of Tommy Breen and Peter Wright combined for seven saves. Breen had two in the first half and Wright had five in the second.

"Both of Luther's goalkeepers were on point today," Isaacson said. "We talked about missed opportunities following the game, but it was the play of their goalkeepers that kept us off the scoreboard. They influenced the game in a big way today."

Up Next

Simpson gets a break from the Iowa Conference gauntlet when it hosts Augustana (Ill.) on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.