ELKINS, W.Va. -- Davis & Elkins men's soccer, ranked 17th in the nation, could not answer a pair of second-half goals from top-ranked Charleston (W.Va.) in a 3-1 setback on Saturday afternoon at Nuttall Field.
Davis & Elkins was handed its first loss of the season, moving to 2-1, while UC improves to 4-0. In a chippy matchup with the intensity level befitting a clash between a pair of top 20 teams, the Senators found themselves down 1-0 near the end of the first half.
Alex Townley zipped ahead, taking a pass from Gabriel Rodriguez before slotting the ball underneath Davis & Elkins keeper
Jeremy Coste.
Matteo Ghezzi answered with a deflection goal in the 52nd minute to tie the score at one before the Golden Eagles found the back of the net twice more for the final 3-1 tally.
The Senators had an extra pep in their step following the equalizer before UC regained its advantage. Alexis Ledoux scored in the 70th minute and Christos Charalambous found the back of the net off a set piece outside the box in the 74th minute.
The Senators held a 10-7 edge in shots, but could place just three attempts on target. D&E also had 10 corner attempts, coming close to finding the net a few times in those situations.
David Jara and Ghezzi had three shots each to pace the Senators, while Coste came up with a pair of stops in the net. The match concluded with 11 cards issued, including three red cards.
Davis & Elkins is back home on Friday, March 19 to host West Liberty at 5:00 PM.
