ROCKFORD, Ill. - It was a rainy Saturday afternoon at Sam Greeley Field when the Regents men's soccer team hosted the Finlandia University Lions. The Regents were on a ten game losing streak entering into Saturday's game; however, Rockford won its previous meeting 8-0 against Finlandia during the 2010 season. Saturday's match was a highly contested one with both teams finishing the match with near identical statistics. Both teams finished with eight total shots; however, Finlandia had a 5-4 edge on shots on goal. The Lions also edged the Regents on corner kicks 6-3. It would be the Regents however who take advantage of more of their opportunities during the match winning the contest 2-1.

Rockford did a great job controlling the match throughout the first half. The Regents jumped out to an early 1-0 lead just 9 minutes into the game. Senior Derek Garcia (Derby, Kan./Derby) made his only shot of the day count scoring his second goal of the season. Garcia took an excellent pass ahead from sophomore Diego Ramos (Chicago, Ill./Jefferson) and smashed it into the back of the net giving Rockford its first lead since September 9th. Rockford was not done yet, scoring another goal just under 34 minutes into the match to take a 2-0 lead. Nathan Sweet (Flint, Mich./Grand Blanc) booted the ball in front of the net from twenty yards out to Joe Flinton (Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Saratoga Springs) who passed it over to Ramos who fired the ball into the goal scoring his second goal of the season.

With a 2-0 lead coming out of halftime, the Regents were looking to play solid defense in the second half to preserve the win. Finlandia had other ideas as the Lions scored less than 10 minutes into the second half making it just a 2-1 Regents lead. The Lions continued to put pressure on the Regents getting nearly twice as many shots off in the second half as they did in the first. With Rockford clinging to a one-goal lead, it was senior goalkeeper Mick Goulding (Midlothian, Ill./Brenen) who preserved the win. With time winding down, Goulding made an outstanding save on a one-on-one scoring opportunity for a Lion player. Goulding has been clutch for the Regents all year making spectacular saves look routine on a regular basis. The Regents were then able to control the ball for the remainder of the half and run out the clock to win the match 2-1.

Rockford's next match is on October, 16th at 3:00 p.m. The Regents will travel to River Forest, Ill. to play the Dominican University Stars.