LAKELAND, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's soccer team played even with the Fire of Southeastern University for 70 minutes Saturday afternoon, but could not finish the job in the last 20 minutes in a 3-1 loss in Lakeland. The match was the Sun Conference opener for both clubs, and saw the Fire score in the 72nd and 83rd minutes to claim the three points in the first conference fixture.

Saturday's game got off to a nightmare start for the Gyrenes, as Southeastern pulled ahead 1-0 on a goal from Colton Eliasen in the second minute, just 111 seconds into the match. That 1-0 score would hold until the 24th minute, when the Gyrenes had an answer. Aided by an assist from Balsa Medenica, Edwin Parraga scored his first goal of the season, evening the score at one at the 23:58 mark. The following 21 minutes would follow without incident, sending the match to the half with a tie score.

More than 25 minutes passed in the second half before Southeastern finally broke the deadlock. Victor Cavalcante scored what proved to be the game-winner in the 72nd minute, scoring an unassisted goal. Ave Maria was still alive with less than 20 minutes to play, but the Fire all but sealed victory with another unassisted goal, this one provided by Arthur Bello in the 83rd minute. Bello's goal provided the final 3-1 margin. 

The Gyrenes played right with the Fire in the first half, with Southeastern only holding a 10-7 edge in shots attempted. That gap widened considerably in the second half, with AMU taking just one shot - and none on goal - while the Fire tried eight, with four challenging the goalkeeper. The two teams played a physical game, with 28 total fouls whistled and five yellow cards awarded.

Three Gyrenes attempted two shots in the losing effort, with Medenica, Padraic Pierson, and Sava Cadjenovic all having multiple chances at the net. AMU stayed in the game for the majority of the contest thanks to the efforts of Andrija Vujakovic, who made six saves. 

Ave Maria will play their first Sun Conference home match on Wednesday, when the Gyrenes welcome the Royals of Warner University to town. Ave Maria swept the season series with the Royals last season, winning both in Lake Wales and at Gyrene Field. Kickoff of the Wednesday match is slated for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff in Ave Maria, with a Saturday evening match against New College of Florida set to end the week.