ASHEVILLE, N.C.- Taking the pitch for the first time since the ASUN Championship Semifinals 219 days ago, the Stetson Hatters men's soccer team fell 3-1 on the road in their season opener against the UNC Asheville Bulldogs.
The match began with a tightly contested back-and-forth, but the Bulldogs struck first in the 30th minute, capitalizing on a Stetson yellow card to convert a free kick into the opening goal.
As the first half drew to a close, Stetson attempted to equalize with a last-second corner kick, but they went into the break trailing by one.
In the 51st minute, the Bulldogs pressured once more but goalkeeper
Nicolo Radaelli stood tall in the face of adversity. The graduate student from Milan, Italy, made a pair of acrobatic saves, first diving to his left to stop the initial shot and then using his right leg to deflect the rebound. Defender
Charlie Rutt helped clear the ball before Radaelli could secure it, ending the dangerous sequence.
Despite a shot on goal by
Charles Ahl, another Stetson yellow card led to a penalty kick for Asheville, which they converted to double their lead.
It wasn't until the 78th minute that the Hatters finally broke the drought as Ahl sent a beautiful free kick towards the net where it was received by Rutt. The redshirt-sophomore from England swiftly headed the ball towards the top right pocket for the Hatters' first goal of the 2024 season. It was also Rutt's first career goal with the Hatters, having only attempted one shot in three games last season.
However, Asheville quickly responded, extending their lead to 3-1, which remained the final score despite Stetson's best efforts.
As a team, Stetson attempted 10 shots, half of which were on target, as Ahl and
Gabriel Toro each attempted two. Rutt scored the lone goal of the game for the Hatters while playing a full 90 minutes of action. The Bulldogs sent 13 total shots Radaelli's way as he tallied five saves in the loss.
Stetson will return to action on Monday, August 26 for their home opener against the FIU Panthers. That game is scheduled for 6:00 pm with all the action available on ESPN+.
