VILLANOVA, Pa. - A last-minute goal handed the Saint Joseph's men's soccer team its first defeat of the season on Monday afternoon, the shorthanded Hawks falling 1-0 to Villanova at the Higgins Soccer Complex.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Hawks controlled the early portions of the game, forcing three saves out of the Villanova goalkeeper in the first 25 minutes.
• A long throw from St. Joe's nearly resulted in the back of the net as the ball found its way through the traffic and found Matteo Mazzotta at the top of the box. The midfielder gathered and volleyed an attempt that smashed off the crossbar and out of play for a goal kick.
• St. Joe's finished the first half with a 6-2 advantage in shots, keeping the Villanova attack at bay.
• SJU started the second half on the front foot again, but the hosts slowly grew into the game after forcing a clearance off the line from the Hawk defense on the 55^th minute.
• Tommaso Rossetto lashed onto an attempt from distance after a loose ball trickled to the edge of the box but a Villanova defender launched to get a deflection on it halfway through to settle for an SJU corner kick.
• Villanova had a chance clatter off the top of the cross bar with five minutes to play as both sides remained looking for an equalizer.
• A second yellow card for Kobe Perlaza in the 88^th minute gave the Hawks two minutes to play with only 10 men. The visitors capitalized, scoring a goal with 29 seconds on the clock to snag a victory at the end of the match.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Villanova outshot the Hawks 14-3 in the second half for a 16-9 advantage in shots.
• Sebastian Perez-Gasiba, Glen Lala and Rossetto all registered multiple shots on the afternoon.
• Cristian Oliveira and Aldo Hernandez made their debuts in the defeat.
• The Hawks conceded their first goal from open play in the opening three games.

 
UP NEXT

• The Hawks head home to Sweeney Field to take on Rider on Tuesday, September 9. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.