Columbia, Mo. – Tonight the seventh ranked Columbia College men's soccer team kicked off their season when they played host to the Bellevue (Neb.) University Bruins in a nonconference matchup. The Cougars were unable to defeat the Bruins as they fell by a final score of 3-2. They are now 0-1 on the season.
In the first half of the game, the Cougars came out and were able to control the possession early in the contest. The Bruins battled back and were able to score the first goal of the match with just under 20 minutes to play in the half when Inaki Aldao beat the Cougars keeper to give them the 1-0 lead. However, their lead did not last long as Columbia College earned a penalty kick just over a minute later and Adam Du Toit was able to bury the free kick to tie the match at one. The Cougars continued to push the tempo as the half progressed and were able to create several scoring chances but were unable to find the back of the net as the score remained 1-1 at the break. Columbia College outshot Bellevue 4-3 in the half with each team putting two shots on target.
The Bruins came out in the second half of the contest and were able to score just nine minutes into the period after a second tally from Aldao to take a 2-1 lead. The Cougars applied pressure following the goal but Bellevue was able to extend their lead to 3-1 with 16 minutes to play in the game. Despite being down late, Columbia College continued to battle and were able to cut the Bruins lead to 3-2 with just over 11 minutes to play in the game. Mako Makoanyane had the goal for the Cougars as he received a ball in the box from Juan Pablo Agredo and calmly beat the Bellevue keeper for his first goal of the season. Columbia College continued to push the tempo in the final minutes of the game but were unable to find the equalizer as the Bruins closed out the game to hand the Cougars their first loss of the season.
Collin Baker and Ryan Harrisskitt split time in goal tonight for the Cougars as the two combined for one save in the contest.
The men's soccer team is back in action on Thursday, August 30th when they travel to Marshall, Missouri, to take on the second ranked Missouri Valley College Vikings in a nonconference matchup. The game is set to start at 7 p.m.
