DAYTON, Tenn. — The St. Andrews University men’s soccer team was defeated in a close battle with conference rival Bryan College on Saturday, losing 2-1.

Bryan struck first when Rafael Mentzingen scored 59 seconds into the game off an assist from Charlie Clark, but St. Andrews was able to tie the contest before halftime when sophomore midfielder Manu Escalera found the back of the net in the 34th minute.

St. Andrews had a chance to take the lead before the break, but Escalera missed a penalty kick late in the half.

In the second half, Clark scored the go-ahead goal in the 59th minute as Mentzingen returned Clark’s earlier favor with an assist of his own.

St. Andrews goalie Leandro Custodio had 11 saves on 13 shots, while Escalera led the team with six shots.

Bryan ended its three-game losing streak to the Knights and improved to 4-3-2 on the year and 1-0-1 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference while St. Andrews dropped to 3-3-1 and 1-2 in conference play.

The Knights will return to action today when they host Columbia International at 4 p.m. to begin a three-game homestand.

Women’s soccer dropped in Georgia

GAINESVILLE, Ga. — The St. Andrews University women’s soccer team lost its second straight road game Saturday, falling 2-0 to Brenau University.

After a scoreless first half that saw the Knights hold a 7-5 shot advantage, the Tigers broke the tie in the 75th minute when Jasmine Brewster notched an unassisted goal. 10 minutes later, Brenau added an insurance goal when Megan Chandler scored off an assist from Megan Chandler.

Tigers goalkeeper Ashley Spring kept St. Andrews at bay with eight saves.

St. Andrews goalie Gianna Annichiarico had nine saves on 11 shots. Freshman forward Maddie Castro led the team with four shots, and freshman Alex Freesland fired off two shots.

Brenau improved to 4-3 on the year while St. Andrews saw its record dip to 5-3 overall.

The Knights are next in action today when they take field against Columbia International at 2 p.m.

Knights cross country finishes 5th

GREENSBORO — The St. Andrews University men’s cross country team had a stellar showing Saturday at the 32nd annual Greensboro Cross Country Invite, finishing fifth out of the 17 teams that competed.

Leading the way for the Knights was freshman Eduardo Andrade, who placed 24th in 28:24 while sophomore Martin Gutierrez was 31st in 28:45. Andrade was the top NAIA finisher while Gutierrez and freshman Zack Castor were third and fourth among NAIA contestants. Castor finished 37th overall in 28:55 while junior Justin Brown was 48th in 29:27.

Finishing fifth on the Knights and 54th overall was junior Chase Kopp in 29:42. Redshirt freshman Nigel Barnes followed in 63rd in 30:04. Freshman Franco Portillo finished up the race for the Knights running a time of 31:51.

Tyler Beaver, a standout on the Knights’ cross country team last season, ran unattached and placed 91st with a time of 30:58.

On the women’s side, St. Andrews finished 14th among the 19 schools that raced.

The Knights were paced by sophomore Hannah Biddle, who ran a new personal best of 21:49.17 to finish in 50th place. Following Biddle was senior Kaitlyn Stempien, who finished 58th with a time of 22:06. Freshman Scout Maddox completed the race in 24:21.68, and fellow freshman Nina Havelka set a personal record with a time of 26:23.16. Junior Kate Neidrick rounded out the St. Andrews runners with a personal-best time of 28:49.13.

Both the men’s and women’s teams will compete again Oct. 9 at the Royals Cross Country Challenge in Charlotte.

Logan Martinez can be reached at 910-560-3170. Follow him on Twitter @L_Martinez13.

Sophomore midfielder Manu Escalera scored St. Andrews’ lone goal in its 2-1 loss to Bryan College Saturday.
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_SAU2.jpgSophomore midfielder Manu Escalera scored St. Andrews’ lone goal in its 2-1 loss to Bryan College Saturday. Contributed by St. Andrews University

Logan Martinez

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