Chicago, Ill. - In a back and forth affair, the Illinois Tech men's soccer team came back from a 2-1 halftime deficit to score three unanswered goals for a 4-2 second half lead against Alma Sunday afternoon at Stuart Field. Unfortunately for the Scarlet Hawks, the Scots scored three unanswered goals in a 12-minute span later in the second half, and clipping the Hawks by a score of 5-4 in a non-conference match. The loss dropped Illinois Tech to 2-3-3 overall. The Scots improved to 2-3-2 overall.

While the defensive lapse during the game led to a disappointing finish to the weekend, Illinois Tech scoring seven goals over two matches (including a 3-1 win over Marian on Saturday) is a welcome sight for a Scarlet Hawks offense that has been challenged finding the back of the net early this season.

How It Happened

• The Hawks opened the scoring in the 20th minute, with Mateo Sanchez scoring his third goal of the season from the right side after a feed from Adam Lazarowicz.
• The Scots responded only 18 seconds later, when Tatenda Mukudu followed up the rebound of his own shot and put it past Hawks goalkeeper Marko Brajkovic for a 1-1 tie.
• Late in the half, the Scots took the lead, with Ethan Swartzentruber scoring an unassisted tally with just over 5 minutes remaining in the half, giving Alma a 2-1 halftime lead.
• The Scarlet Hawks comeback attempt started in the 55th minute off of a corner kick. Anthony Paiotti, stationed in the left corner, sent a corner kick that curled directly into the far right corner of the net, eluding Scots' goalkeeper Aden Jerome, and tying the match at 2-2.
• Just twenty seconds later, the Scarlet Hawks retook the lead. Logan Garcia stole a ball inside the Alma zone on the right side, and fed a pass inside to Michael Kaczowka in the middle, who spun around and fired a right-footer into the left-corner for a 3-2 Hawks advantage.
• In the 69th minute, Kaczowka struck again, just barely getting a piece of the ball on a goal-mouth scramble near the left post for his second goal of the match, and a 4-2 Scarlet Hawks lead.
• In the 72nd minute, the Scots mounted their eventual comeback. A failed clear on a Scots rush ricochet off a Scots attacker and to a wide open Antonio Avila, who poked it past Hawks goalkeeper Adam Falcigno to cut the Scots deficit to 4-3.
• Just over two minutes later, the Scots earned the equalizer, after a left-side throw-in from Gerrit Barth inside the Illinois Tech zone to Christian Swies resulted in an unimpeded goal for Swies, and a 4-4 tie.
• In the 84th minute, Alma reclaimed the lead for good, when a George Abner loft from midfield toward the Hawks goal found a rushing Swartzentruber, and he split a pair of defenders coming down the right side and fired it in for the final 5-4 margin of victory for the Scots.

Scarlet Hawks Standouts

• Kaczowka with a pair of goals, with 7 shots, 3 on frame, in 68 minutes played.
• Sanchez with a game-opening goal for a second consecutive match. He finished with 4 shots, 2 on goal, in 75 minutes played.
• Paiotti with the corner-kick goal, tying up the match at the time in the 2nd half, the beginning of a 3-goal run. Paiotti finished with 2 shots, both on goal, in 72 minutes.
• Logan Garcia with the steal and the assist on the first goal by Kaczowka, in 42 minutes played.
• Lazarowicz with the feed on the opening goal by Sanchez, in 58 minutes played.

Scots Watch

• Swartzentruber with 2 goals on 2 shots in 90 minutes played.
• Mukudu with a goal in 4 shots, 2 on frame, in 70 minutes played.
• Avila with a goal on his only shot, playing 46 minutes.
• Swies with a goal on 3 shots, all on frame, in 34 minutes played

Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks will have another non-conference matchup this Wednesday, when they travel to Appleton, Wisconsin for a game against Lawrence at 7:00 PM.