AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's soccer team returned to the field on Wednesday night, and came up just short against the Warner University Royals, falling 1-0 at Gyrene Field. A goal from the visiting Royals in the 19th minute proved to be the difference in the match, as the final 70 minutes passed without an answer from AMU or an insurance goal from Warner.

The only goal of the match came with 18:45 on the clock. A pass from Deven Ingley wound up at the foot of Dillon Giambrone, who blasted a rocket past the AMU goalkeeper. The goal was the the third of the season for Giambrone, and marked his second straight match on the scoresheet. Ingley's assist was his third of the season, and was the fourth in two seasons at Warner.

Neither team found the net for the remainder of the first half, despite chances for both sides. Ave Maria held a 6-3 lead in shots attempted during the opening 45 minutes, including a shot on goal in the 31st minute from Nikola Vinski. The Gyrenes also had a number of other scoring opportunities that could not find their way on goal, and entered halftime with a 1-0 deficit.

In the second half, it was more of the same, as Ave Maria outshot the Royals but could not come up with an equalizer. The Gyrenes added nine more shots from the 46th minute on, including four that had to be saved by Warner goalkeeper Woodlerson Cyrius. Ave Maria held defensively, keeping the Royals off the scoreboard, but AMU was not able to send the match to overtime with a tying goal. 

Ave Maria held a 15-6 advantage in attempted shots, led by three each from Raphael Rodriguez, Josh Gaeng, and Vinski. Each of those three Gyrenes had one shot on goal in the losing effort. AMU's other two shots on goal were provided by John Gokey and Luis Ortiz. In goal, Carlos Contreras saved two of the three shots he faced, but was charged with a loss in net. 

The Gyrenes are on the road on Saturday, facing the Bobcats of St. Thomas University for the second time this season. Ave Maria fell 5-0 to the Bobcats on September 26, in what was The Sun Conference opener for the Gyrenes. The rematch, which will switch locations to Miami Gardens, is scheduled to kick off at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday night.