LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Beloit College men's soccer found its footing after halftime this afternoon, with Juan Calzada (Madison, Wis.) converting a penalty kick to level the match at 1-1 and the Buccaneers generated six shots after the break before falling 3-1 to Lake Forest at Mohr Field.
Beloit entered at 1-14-1 overall and 1-5-1 in conference play. Lake Forest came in at 6-6-2 and 4-2-1 MWC.
Lake Forest scored the only goal of the first half, a 26th-minute finish by Jimmy Cirbo. Beloit goalkeeper David Staats (Meridian, ID) kept the Bucs in it, making three saves as the Foresters put five shots on frame before the break.
The second half was a different story for Beloit. After going without a shot in the opening 45 minutes, the Bucs took six after halftime and had a corner-kick advantage in the period, 3-1 in the second half after being outcornered 6-1 in the first. Just two and a half minutes into the second half, Lake Forest was whistled for a foul in the box, and Calzada stepped up to convert the penalty kick in the 47th minute, tying the match at 1-1. Beloit nearly followed it up immediately. Ervin Rosas, also in the 48th minute, sent a shot just wide left to keep the pressure on.
Lake Forest answered with a goal from Taelin Stanfield in the 60th minute and added a second goal from Cirbo in the 77th to take control, but the Bucs kept pushing until the final whistle.
Beloit can take encouragement from the way they responded after halftime: a penalty-kick goal, six shots, three corners and sustained pressure on Lake Forest's goal, especially in the final 10 minutes. The Bucs will look to carry that energy into their next conference match up on Saturday, October 24th at Lawrence University starting at 11 am.
