NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The Kalamazoo College men's soccer team went on the road for the first time this season to face North Central on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 3). The Hornets fell behind 2-0 and could not complete the comeback over the Cardinals with the final score reading 2-1.
The two teams battled for most of the first half, keeping the game in a scoreless tie. That was until there was less than a minute left to play, and North Central scored the game's first goal. Edoardo Bonifacio put away the shot to give the Cardinals a 1-0 advantage heading into halftime.
Players started getting a little more chippy in the second half, and within that, North Central was awarded a penalty kick in the 63rd minute after a foul in the box. Johnny Kraemer stepped up and buried the opportunity to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead. The Kalamazoo goal also came from a penalty kick in the 69th minute. Michele Alia converted his chance to cut the deficit in half. However, that would be the closest it would get, with North Central closing the game defensively.
Gavin Houtkooper (0-2) only had two saves on three opportunities in the net. North Central had more shots (14-5) and corner kicks (9-2), while Kalamazoo had more saves (2-1) and fouls (10-9).
Kalamazoo returns home to MacKenzie Field on Tuesday (Sept. 6) to face Concordia (Mich.), with kick-off scheduled for 7 p.m.