Sophomore forward Faris Colic and first-year forward Carver Tierney each scored as the St. Thomas men’s soccer team lost 3-2 to Gonzaga Tuesday at South Field.
The Tommies (2-7-1, 1-0 Summit) faced off against the Bulldogs (4-6) in a non-conference match. The teams faced off for their second-ever matchup. Gonzaga beat the Tommies 2-0 in 2021.
“We carried most of that game,” coach Jon Lowery said. “We went straight up with them and didn’t really hide.”
Gonzaga went up 1-0 in the 28th minute after a corner kick set up a perfect header for first-year defender Diego Domenech.
The Bulldogs scored again about five minutes later when junior defender Loic Baures blasted a blocked shot past St. Thomas junior goalkeeper Tucker Mann.
“The biggest problem was that they were a man up in the midfield,” Lowery said, “so we had to make some quick adjustments.”
The adjustments paid off.
The Tommies played a more controlled and commanding second half, with Colic navigating through traffic to put the Tommies on the board in the 54th minute.
“We had to establish possession,” Lowery said. “We had to let them know we were going to be on the ball.”
The Tommies conceded a breakaway goal in the 84th minute that sophomore forward Logan Dorsey chipped past Mann to put the Bulldogs up by two once again.
St. Thomas first-year forward Oliver Bieleveldt’s penalty kick was blocked in the 88th minute, but the Tommies got possession, and Tierney scored in the same minute. The Tommies could not score again in the remaining two minutes.
“There’s a ton for us to build off of in that game,” Lowery said. “That was a really strong performance. … The confidence levels are growing.”
The Tommies kick off next against Oral Roberts on Oct. 1 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at 7 p.m.
Sam Larson can be reached at lars4378@stthomas.edu.