PINEVILLE, La. – The Louisiana College men's soccer team couldn't have asked for a better start in its Red River Athletic Conference match against Our Lady of the Lake, but things turned quickly against the Wildcats, who found themselves on the low end of a 5-2 loss to the Saints Friday night at Wildcat Field.
 
It didn't take long for the Wildcats to find their way onto the scoreboard as the Saints were whistled for a foul just outside the box in just the third minute. As has become customary, Alvaro Tudanca stepped up to take the free kick, and his shot from 22 yards out was perfectly placed as the OLLU keeper couldn't get to it to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead inside the match's first five minutes.
 
But that lead was taken away at the 14-minute mark as a clearance attempt was won in the air by OLLU, who was able to chip a shot over the scrambling goalkeeper to level the match at 1-1. Less than two minutes later, LC ceded the lead to the Saints as a cross right near the six-yard box was headed in for a 2-1 OLLU lead in the 16^th minute. That would be the score at halftime.
 
Just seconds into the second half, the Wildcats saw their task get even tougher as LC was whistled for a foul in the box, giving the Saints a penalty kick opportunity, which OLLU converted into a 3-1 lead in the 46^th minute.
 
But shortly after the hour mark, some good fortune for the Wildcats looked to turn the game into LC's favor. OLLU was whistled for a handball in the box, allowing the Wildcats their own attempt from the penalty spot. Alvaro Tudanca, much like he did with the free kick early in the contest, calmly deposited the PK shot into the goal in the 63^rd minute to get LC back within a goal at 3-2.
 
But an increasingly frantic Wildcat assault on the OLLU goal would no result in an equalizer, but rather saw OLLU put the match away with a pair of goals inside the match's final ten minutes for the match's final margin.
 
Alvaro Navarro's two goals were his fifth and sixth goals of the season, giving him the team lead in that category. He ended the making taking three shots, putting all three on frame. Nangee Philip and Arturo Riestra Torrejon each took four shots in the match with Torrejon putting one on target. Jacob Bruce finished the match with three shots, putting two on target, whild João Pedro Giraldez Franco also sent three shots towards the net, with one on frame. LC finished the match out-shooting OLLU both in terms of overall shots and shots on net, putting 21 shots towards the Saints goal with nine being on target.
 
Luke Craigie (2-3) was credited with three saves during the contest as he faced a total of 19 shots coming from the Saints throughout the 90 minutes, eight of which were on goal.
 
The Wildcats (6-4, 1-3 RRAC) look to get back into good form and in the W column this Thursday when Texas A&M-Texarkana comes to Pineville for a conference contest. Kickoff of Thursday's match against the Eagles (3-7-1, 0-3-1 RRAC) is set for 7:30 P.M., or about 20 minutes following the women's match, at Wildcat Field.