DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle men's soccer team suffered a tough loss in Sun Conference play on Saturday, falling to St. Thomas 3-0 at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium. The loss was the first at home this season for the Eagles, who drop to 5-4 overall and 3-1 in league play. The Bobcats improve to 5-5-1 and 3-1 in The Sun Conference.

The Eagles appeared to have the better of the possession in the first half, outshooting St. Thomas 8-1, but it was the Bobcats who held the advantage at the end of the first half. In the sixth minute, Mike Njie was judged to have been fouled inside the 18-yard box. Eran Belo took the resulting penalty kick and his shot beat ERAU goalkeeper Kile Kennedy low to give the Bobcats a 1-0 lead.

The Eagles had several close calls, including a Ryan Woods shot that was saved by Aaron Jones. Jones was also helped by the woodwork as two Eagle chances bounced off the crossbar to help St. Thomas hold on to its lead through the remainder of the half.

Just over 10 minutes into the second period the Eagles found themselves at a further disadvantage when the referee issued a red card, leaving the Eagles with just 10 men on the field. The Eagles continued to pressure the Bobcat defense and their persistence almost paid off in the 59th minute when Michalson Platon saved Ryan Maloney's header off the line.

Buoyed by the success of their defense, the Bobcats eventually capitalized on the one-man advantage to spring Jonathon Rico once in the 67th minute and again in the 80th minute to seal the 3-0 upset of the 20th-ranked Eagles.

The Eagles return to the pitch at 7 p.m. to host Southeastern at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium.