DULUTH, Minn. – The College of St. Scholastica men's soccer team erased nearly all of a four-goal second-half deficit Tuesday evening, scoring four times over the final 25 minutes before falling 5-4 to bridge rival University of Wisconsin-Superior in a spirited non-conference season opener at Kenny Harkins Field.
UW-Superior (1-0-0) carried a 3-0 advantage into halftime and extended the lead to 4-0 in the 53rd minute. The Yellowjackets controlled much of the opening half, outshooting the Saints 8-2 before the break.
St. Scholastica (0-1-0) began to turn the match in the 66th minute when Parker Chastey (Duluth, MN/Denfeld HS) found the back of the net to make it 4-1. UW-Superior responded with Seth Davidson's third goal of the evening at 70:42, seemingly putting the match out of reach at 5-1.
Instead, the Saints mounted a furious comeback.
Just 41 seconds after UWS restored its four-goal lead, Kiki Schmitz (Meerbusch, Germany/) struck to pull CSS within three. Chastey added his second goal less than three minutes later off an assist from Vasco Carneiro (Lisbon, Portugal/), cutting the deficit to 5-3.
The pressure continued, and Chastey completed the hat trick from the penalty spot at 80:30, bringing St. Scholastica all the way back within one at 5-4 with nearly 10 minutes still to play.
The Saints were unable to find the equalizer in the closing minutes, but finished the second half with four goals on five shots after being held scoreless in the opening 45. Chastey accounted for three of CSS's four goals and put all four of his shots on target, while Schmitz scored on his lone attempt. Carneiro recorded the Saints' lone assist.
The intensity of the bridge rivalry showed throughout the closing stages, with several cautions issued as emotions rose following the Saints' second-half surge. Assistant coach AliReza Basiri received two yellow cards and will miss St. Scholastica's next match as a result.
Up next, the Saints will host Coe College on Friday afternoon as they continue their non-conference slate to open the season.
