GALESBURG, Ill. – The Illinois College men's soccer team dealt with the heavy pressure applied by Knox College for more than an hour on Saturday, but the Prairie Fire finally broke through in the 64th minute and then added two more in quick succession for a 3-0 win in the Midwest Conference opener. The loss sinks IC to 3-6-0 (0-1-0 MWC).
Raul Rubalcava was the star of the first half for Illinois College, making eight saves and keeping Knox off the board despite 15 shot attempts.
Thomas Saitta had two of IC's three shots in the first half, one of which required a save from Justin Dunn. With the Blueboys doing enough to keep Knox at bay, the match went to the half tied at 0-0.
Rubalcava made three more saves early in the second half, but Rodrigo Carvalho finally broke the deadlock with an assist from Pedro Moura in the 64th minute. As play continued, Knox continued to pile on pressure and the Prairie Fire were able to double their lead in the 81st minute as Jun Min headed home on a Carvalho assist. Moments later, Illinois College was whistled for a foul in the penalty area and Raphael Adeyemi slotted home in the 82nd minute to seal it.
Saitta ended the match with two shot attempts, while
Luke Iraci and
Brandon Sommer each had one. Rubalcava ended his day with 15 saves.
Illinois College dips into non-conference play for the final time on Sept. 25, traveling to take on Millikin University at 7:45 p.m.
