In a game that saw no goals in the first half, the Alma College men's soccer team lost to Kalamazoo 2-1 at Scotland Yard on Saturday afternoon. With the loss, the Scots dropped to 9-6 overall with a 5-6 mark in the MIAA. The Hornets improved to 7-7-1 on the year and 5-5-1 in conference games with the win.

"Another game where we outplayed the opposition for good spells in the game," said Alma Head Coach Josh Oakley. "The story behind the last two matches is the three crucial mistakes we made that influenced the outcome."

"We've done some good things and the boys' effort is always there. Our team defending has been really solid for the last four games. Focus must be maintained at all times in a soccer match and we learned that lesson again today. My hope is that we apply it at Albion."

The first half saw the Alma offense record seven shots compared to just three by Kalamazoo. Despite the shots advantage, the Scots were unable to find the back of the net and the score was knotted up at 0-0 heading into halftime.

Alma was on the attack again early in the second half, recording six shots in the opening minutes. The Hornets weathered the storm and got on the board at 58:49 when Nicholas Shabino connected on a cross to give Kalamazoo the 1-0 advantage. At 70:00, So. M Julian Birge (East Lansing/East Lansing) found the left corner of the net on a penalty kick to tie the score at 1-1.

The Hornets capitalized on their own penalty kick opportunity at 79:59, when Jordan Veillete scored his first goal of the season to put Kalamazoo up 2-1. The remainder of the second half saw strong defensive efforts by both teams and Hornets took the 2-1 decision.

The Scots led Kalamazoo in both shots (16-10) and corner kicks (10-4).

In goal, Sr. GK Graham Wallace (Grand Rapids/Forest Hills Eastern) grabbed one save for Alma and Beau Prey recorded six for the Hornets. Alma Jr. F Michael Smith (Saginaw/Nouvel Catholic Central) led all players with four shots on goal.

The Scots will hit the road on Tuesday, October 29, to take on Albion at 4:00 p.m.