Slippery Rock men’s soccer dropped a tight 1-0 matchup Wednesday night against Walsh University, despite outshooting the Cavaliers 18–10.
SRU generated early pressure, beginning with a sixth‑minute attempt from junior forward Kaden Reynolds. Patrick Tierney, Jimmy Irani and Reynolds each added shots as The Rock controlled the opening stretch. The 18th minute brought a pair of yellow cards, one being issued to SRU’s Dylan Greggs and the other to Walsh’s Aleksandar Miketic.
Walsh recorded its first shot shortly after, before SRU would again be the victim of a penalty, when sophomore goalkeeper Troy Nine was issued a yellow card. Miketic took the ensuing free‑kick opportunity, but Nine made the save to keep the match scoreless. Nine came up big again in the 42nd minute, stopping a shot from Mateo Tempone. This sent the teams into halftime still looking to break the tie.
The scoring drought didn’t last long. In the 50th minute, Kostas Paxos found senior defenseman Bobby Moore, whose shot beat Nine to give Walsh the 1-0 lead.
Slippery Rock pushed for an equalizer, highlighted by a strong attempt from Reynolds that was turned away by Walsh goalkeeper Pedro Costa. Nine continued to keep SRU within reach, making key saves on Evan Napier and Moore.
Looking for a spark, freshman defender Sie Parker made his collegiate debut in the 75th minute, immediately producing a shot on goal, with the top‑left attempt missing the frame. Costa later denied a pair of shots from sophomore Jonathan Anthony, preserving the Cavaliers’ advantage.
SRU’s final chance came late when Javier Garrido Burgos sent a high shot on target, but Costa held firm to secure the shutout.
Despite outshooting the Cavaliers, Costa’s 8-save performance proved the difference in the 1-0 loss.
Slippery Rock falls to 0‑1‑1 on the season following its opening‑night draw with D’Youville University. The Rock returns to action Saturday to host the University of the District of Columbia at James Egli Field for the home opener.
