Box Score

The IU Columbus Men's Soccer team battled in a high-scoring affair but ultimately fell 5-3 to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Thursday afternoon. The road defeat moves the Crimson Pride to 4-9-2 overall and 0-5-1 in conference play.

The Crimson Pride struck first when Justin Sylva found the net in the 27th minute, connecting on an assist from Rex Randy. IU Columbus carried their 1-0 advantage into halftime, showing promise in their attack with three first-half shots.

However, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods mounted a decisive second-half surge. The Pomeroys' Jacobo Galvez leveled the score in the 57th minute off an assist from Jaime Gayol, then put the hosts ahead three minutes later with his second goal, assisted by Marc Valderrama. The lead expanded through goals from Ivan Gelado (67th minute), Gayol (76th minute), and Joao Montemor (81st minute).

Showing tremendous resilience, IU Columbus fought back late. Christian Cardoso cut into the deficit in the 85th minute off an assist from Angel Roque, and Jon Michael Bright added another goal in the 87th minute to bring the final score to 5-3. Bright led the offensive effort with three shots on goal and a score, while Dylan Krueckeberg and Kevin Cruz each contributed two shots on target.

Goalkeeper Jacob Kasarda faced consistent pressure, making nine saves against a Pomeroy attack that generated 22 shots, with 14 on target.

The physical contest saw yellow cards issued to Eduardo Cordova and Christian Cardoso for IU Columbus, with the teams combining for 35 fouls. The Crimson Pride earned five corner kicks but were outdone by the hosts' 10.

IU Columbus will look to regroup and search for their first conference victory when they return to action on Saturday at Oakland City for a 2:30 PM CT kickoff.