SAN ANTONIO – The University of the Incarnate Word men's soccer team traveled to Ohio to compete in the Dayton Classic on September 2-4. The first game of the weekend was against a strong University of Evansville side with the final score finishing 3-0 to the Purple Aces. The Cardinals looked to bounce back after their loss to Evansville on Friday evening with a game against the St. Thomas University of Minnesota. However, after an up and down 90 minutes, the Cardinals fell to a 3-2 defeat on Sunday afternoon.

UIW vs. Evansville
 
Starting XI: Constant, J.Perez, Emena, Vargas, Schwartzman, Velasco, Navarijo, Elizalde, Aguilar, E.Perez, Lopez
 
A physical start to the game left UIW defensively rattled as both teams fought for control with Evansville using their physicality to their advantage.

The first of the goals came in the eighteenth minute as Evansville broke down the right-hand side delivering a deep cross to the back post which was headed in by Jose Vivas.
 
Evansville doubled its lead five minutes later from a free kick after a deep delivery back post was headed back across goal with Carlos Barcia running in for the headed finish two yards from goal.
 
It was Evansville who would score again in the twenty-eighth minute with a goal from Nacho Diaz to make the score 3-0 at halftime.

A tactical change from the Cardinals lead to a more aggressive start to the second half with Abe Ashby coming close in the first five minutes after some good interplay led to a shot in the far bottom corner.

UIW kept going for the entirety of the second half but was unable to break the deadlock with Evansville managing to keep the Cardinal attack at bay. The game finished 3-0 to Evansville.

UIW vs. St. Thomas (Minnesota)
 
Starting XI: Constant, Zuniga, Drozdowski, Vargas, Vohra, Velasco, Emena, Navarijo, E.Perez, Lopez, Diphoko
 
A penalty was awarded for a foul on St. Thomas in the first five minutes, which was converted by Oliver Bieleveldt.
 
UIW was quick to respond as Bernabe Lopez received the ball on the edge of the box and fired his shot into the bottom corner for the equalizer.
 
The game became a back-and-forth battle as UIW tried to establish possession-based play against St. Thomas' 4-4-2 defensive low block. St. Thomas was dangerous on the counters, but it was Edu Perez who grabbed a goal in the thirty-eighth minute when he cut inside from the left finishing in the far bottom corner to put the Cardinals in the lead before halftime.

UIW came out with a high-intensity press putting pressure on their opponents and was close to making the game 3-1 with a flurry of shots in the first five minutes. Once again, the Cardinals press worked which released Sello Diphoko on the wing, who fired a shot into the top corner only to be saved by the St. Thomas goalkeeper.
 
In the sixty-third minute, it was St. Thomas who would score two goals in three minutes to take the lead after two defensive errors from the Cardinals.
 
UIW pushed with multiple chances in the last 15 minutes of the game but despite a season-high 21 shots and 65 percent possession to the game, the Cardinals couldn't find an equalizer and the game finished 3-2 to St Thomas.

The Cardinals return to action on Thursday against Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA.
 
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