After a scoreless first half, Division II Clarke College of Dubuque, Iowa, outlasted the Tommie men’s soccer team Friday on a hot September evening.

Clarke College junior Mirek Baran scored two late goals on St. Thomas sophomore goalie Jace Leiferman, leading the Crusaders to a 2-0 victory over the Tommies. It was the season opener for both teams and the first varsity game in net for Leiferman.

After a scoreless first half, Division II Clarke College of Dubuque, Iowa, outlasted the Tommie men’s soccer team Friday on a hot September evening.

Clarke College junior Mirek Baran scored two late goals on St. Thomas sophomore goalie Jace Leiferman, leading the Crusaders to a 2-0 victory over the Tommies. It was the season opener for both teams and the first varsity game in net for Leiferman.

“Their hearts were in it, and their minds were in it,” St. Thomas head coach Aaron Macke said. “But when the legs got tired the minds got tired, we started making some sloppy mistakes.”

Baran took advantage of one such mistake in the 71:44 into the game to break a scoreless tie.

“We got caught flat out there, and the guy got in behind our defense,” Leiferman said. “It was a great finish to our backside net.”

“(Baran) made a good shot,” St. Thomas senior forward Mike Hutton said. “A one out of a hundred kind of shot.”

Baran’s second goal came six minutes later when he streaked down field after a St. Thomas corner kick.

“The defender stepped and missed him, and he was all alone,” Leiferman said. “Just me and him all alone. I went for it and got him and not the ball, and he stood strong and finished it.”

Macke said the non-conference game was “kind of like preseason,” and it was a chance for his team, including his young goaltender, “to learn about themselves.”

“(Jace) did a great job,” Macke said. “We’ve been working on him coming out and playing mean because he looks so nice.”

Twice Leiferman went away from the net and collided with a charging Crusader forward.

“That’s the space I’m going to own,” Leiferman said. “If they want to run me, they’ll run me. But you saw what happened; they end up on the ground.”

Hutton said the games will get more physical when the team starts MIAC conference play against Augsburg on Sept. 24.

St. Thomas women’s soccer team wins opener

The Tommie women’s team beat UW-Stevens Point 1-0 on Thursday in its season opener.

A scoring chance by the Pointers missed off the post in the game’s 54th minute, and in the 55th minute sophomore Katy Scherer responded by scoring the game’s only goal.

The Tommies will travel to Wheaton for their next game on Sept. 10.

Alex Keil can be reached at amkeil@stthomas.edu.