CINCINNATI – It was a dream start for Jared Robinson and the University of Evansville men's soccer team, but ultimately, the senior's second-minute strike would go for naught as the Purple Aces fell 3-1 to Xavier in the season-opening contest at Xavier Soccer Field on Friday night.
After outlasting nearly three hours of delays due to inclement weather, Robinson got on the end of a Zac Blaydes corner kick just 95 seconds into the match to put UE ahead.
"We thought we may have had an advantage with our height, and we worked on some set pieces just before we left yesterday," UE head coach Marshall Ray revealed. "It's a credit to the guys for going out there and executing it. Jared is a dangerous player, and hopefully this will be a good confidence builder for him. He's a guy that I think has a lot left to show to the Missouri Valley Conference and our fans back in Evansville."
However, a red card to defender Eric McDougal just 13 minutes later helped the Musketeers get back into the game as they would go on to level the contest with a 29
th minute penalty kick from Jalen Brown.
"We came out of the delay well, and I don't think it really affected us much," Ray said. "We out-shot them 6-1 and had three corners in the first 15 minutes, but going down a man really changed the complexity of the match. I really liked the fight that this team showed after that. They left everything on the field, and I don't think they ever stopped competing."
Brown would play a role in XU's second goal as well, feeding Derrick Otim for a shot from distance in the 41
st to give the hosts the lead just before the break.
Just eight minutes after the half, the Musketeers doubled their advantage with a Curtis Hansford strike to make it 3-1.
UE had its chances in the contest, steering six of eight shots on target, but Xavier was effective as well, firing off 21 shots, including eight on target.
Frederik Reimer, who made his collegiate debut in the contest, played all 90 minutes in the net for the Aces, saving five shots.
UE will continue its opening weekend on Sunday with a trip to Northern Kentucky. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
NOTES: UE is 26-14-2 all-time in season-openers but just 9-10-2 in those played away from home … The Aces hold a 20-3-3 all-time record against former conference foe Xavier, with the first meeting taking place in 1977 … The two sides drew that day before the Aces picked up the first win in the series a year later, marking the first of 14 consecutive for UE … The first XU win came by a 3-2 score in 1993 … UE is 8-3-1 all-time vs. the Musketeers in Cincinnati … The last meeting in the series was a scoreless draw in Evansville in 2010 … Sunday marks just the second meeting with Northern Kentucky, which is now a fully-active NCAA Division I member and eligible for postseason play … Current players Zac Blaydes and Mikey Matic combined for three assists in last year's 4-0 win.
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