Metro East Sun

August was not kind to the Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) men’s soccer team, which as of early September is still looking for its first win of the season.

ONU opened on the road against Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but despite being ranked 18th in preseason polls, the Tigers fell short against the Saints, 1-0. It was the first time since Sept. 9 of last year that ONU had been held scoreless in a match. 

Alex Mendez gave the Saints the one-goal advantage at the start of the second half, and it was all Aquinas needed.

The Tigers played their home opener on Aug. 26 against Cornerstone University, with both teams held scoreless in the first half. A few minutes into the second half, Richard Areche found the back of the net for Cornerstone at 49 minutes and 49 seconds of the game. 

Tumi Moshobane tied the game for the Tigers 20 seconds later, but then neither team could get on the board again. The game ended in a 1-1 tie.

ONU then took on Marian University and struck first with a goal in the 25th minute by Christian Henock-Berhanu, who fired it past the goalkeeper on a rebound.

The Tigers led for much of the game and dominated play early in the second half. Marian was kept quiet until the 85th minute, when Hamed Sidibe netted an equalizer, sending the teams into overtime, where Jeffrey Rhodes scored the winning goal for Marian.

In September, the Tigers will face off against a few in-state rivals, taking on Roosevelt on the 23rd, St. Francis on the 27th and Robert Morris on the 30th.

For more information on the Tigers season or to view the team’s schedule and purchase tickets, visit www.onutigers.com.