MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – It was a rough night on the pitch for the Embry-Riddle men's soccer team as the Eagles (2-4-1, 0-2-0 Sunshine State Conference) were defeated by Barry 6-0 in the team's second-straight road match to begin conference play.
 
The Buccaneers, who are 5-1-1 with a 2-0-1 mark in league action, set the tone early with three scores in the span of seven minutes from the ninth to the 16th. Embry-Riddle starting keeper Thomas Loesel made a trio of saves in the period, including a diving stop in the 33rd minute on a skipping shot heading for the bottom right corner of the goal, but the deficit stood at 3-0 at the break.
 
With just ninety seconds off the clock in the second half, Loesel made another incredible save on a set piece barely outside the box. The sophomore dove to his left all the way to the post, reaching his fingers out just in time to deflect the shot wide.
 
Sandro Henning had the Eagles first prime scoring chance at 56:20 when he launched a low-hanging shot toward the left post. Unfortunately, Barry's keeper was able to dive and save the shot.
 
The Buccaneers recorded three more goals, this time in a five minute timeframe from 59:01 to 63:50. That pushed Embry-Riddle's deficit to 6-0.
 
Anthony Velez used a well-executed juke to beat a Buccaneer defender in the 72nd minute. He had open space on the left side and sent a shot toward the net, but it was turned away when the goalie dropped to the ground and kicked it away.
 
George Patey made an unbelievable effort to prevent a lobbed shot from crossing the goal line four minutes later. A Buccaneer dribbled into the right side of the box. Loesel charged at the attacker in an effort to cut down on the angle. However, the striker chipped a high-arcing shot over the goaltender. Patey rushed toward the net, leaped, and headed the ball over the crossbar just a few inches before it would have counted for a goal.
 
The Eagles' offense woke up in the second half, outshooting Barry 9-8. Amit Libgot came off the bench to lead the Blue and Gold in shots with three, and Loesel notched six saves by the end of the night.
 
Embry-Riddle receives a full week of rest for the first time this season before returning to the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium to host Eckerd on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. The 2022 Embry-Riddle Men's Soccer season is presented by Radiology Associates.