AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's soccer team jumped out to a 2-0 lead on the undefeated Keiser University Seahawks on Saturday night, but could not sustain the effort in a 4-2 defeat at Gyrene Field. The Seahawks scored four times in the final 27 minutes of the match to remain undefeated this season and rally from AMU's early two-goal lead.
In the 24th minute, the Gyrenes took the early lead. On a set piece, goalkeeper Carlos Contreras blasted a free kick that bounced to John Gokey, who headed it past the Keiser goalkeeper to give AMU the lead. It was the first assist for Contreras in his AMU career, and marked the second goal of the season for Gokey. The junior's goal was the only tally of the first half, allowing AMU to take a 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
Ave Maria added to their lead in the 52nd minute. On Senior Night, Matias Carbone scored his first goal of the season, beating the defense on an assist from Josh Gaeng, his second of the season. A header from Gaeng allowed Carbone to have an open look at the net, and the senior beat the goalkeeper to the near post to give the underdog Gyrenes a 2-0 lead with just under 40 minutes to play.
Keiser's comeback started in the 64th minute, when the Seahawks cut the Ave Maria lead to 2-1 on a goal from Ciro Damine. Damine then tied the game in the 71st minute, taking a deflection and placing past the goalkeeper for his second goal of the match. Just under 15 minutes later, Keiser took the lead on a set piece, as Adrian Camacho Castro scored directly from a corner kick. Camacho Castro added an insurance goal in the 86th minute, beating the keeper for his second goal of the match.
Despite needing to rally in the final 30 minutes, Keiser held a 17-9 advantage in overall shots, as well as a 9-6 advantage in shots on goal. The two teams played an extremely physical contest, with a total of 19 fouls called and six yellow cards handed out between the teams. Gokey and Gaeng led the Gyrenes with two shots on goal each in the final home game of the season, while Carbone and Luis Ortiz each attempted one.
These same two teams will meet again on Tuesday in West Palm Beach for the regular season finale. With a win or a draw in the rematch, the Gyrenes would claim the fifth seed in The Sun Conference Tournament, which begins next Saturday. Otherwise, Ave Maria would begin the tournament as the sixth seed with a first round matchup against Southeastern. Kickoff at Keiser is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
