AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's soccer team could not overcome a Florida College surge in the opening 30 minutes of Saturday evening's contest, and fell 4-2 to the Falcons at Gyrene Field in Ave Maria. The defeat was Ave Maria's first of the season. The game was characteristically high-scoring, marking the fifth time in the last six seasons where a match between AMU and Florida College featured five or more goals.

The match started with the teams trading goals in the opening ten minutes. Florida College was set up with a penalty kick in the third minute, and Krist Berisha converted from the spot to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead. Ave Maria's answer came in the ninth minute, when Luis Ortiz scored his first goal of the season, thanks to an assist from Diego Heredia, the first of his Ave Maria career. 

Florida College took control of the match over the next 20 minutes, scoring twice to take a lead they would not relinquish. Rafael Magacho scored in the 18th minute on a goal from Berisha, then Marcos Antonio added to the Florida College lead in the 28th minute. Magacho assisted on the third goal, which gave the Falcons a 3-1 lead, as did Danila Alferov.

Ave Maria got one back just under ten minutes later, thanks to Adrian De La Rosa. The freshman scored the first goal of his collegiate career in the 38th minute, getting the Gyrenes back within one goal. That 3-2 margin would hold for the final seven-plus minutes of the first half, sending the teams to the break with Florida College up by a goal. 

The Falcons added an insurance goal in the second half, which would prove to be the only goal in the final 45 minutes. Marcos Antonio scored his second goal of the match in the 79th minute, with the assist credited to Jesus Montes Herrera. That 4-2 score would hold for the final eleven minutes, ending the match with a Florida College victory.

Both teams attempted eleven shots in the match, taking an identical six shots on goal. De La Rosa was Ave Maria's most active attacker, taking four shots with two going on goal, including his tally in the 38th minute. Rhys Lawlor made his second start of the season in net, and made four saves for Ave Maria.

After playing two home matches to start the season, the Gyrenes will be on the road for their next two matches, with more than two weeks separating Saturday's match with AMU's next home affair on September 15. The Gyrenes will next take on the Conquistadors of Florida National University, the first of two non-conference matches between the teams. The contest is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. in Hialeah.