ROCKFORD, Ill. - The RU men's soccer team began its season on Tuesday by welcoming the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks to Sam Greeley Field. The Regents and Scarlet Hawks took turns sharing the lead in the first half before Illinois Tech eventually pulled away in the final 45 minutes for the 5-1 win. 

Rockford struck first in the 18th minute when Erik Manriquez (Rockford, Ill.) drilled a header into the back of the net off a free kick from Jonathan Hernandez (Chicago, Ill.) giving his team a quick 1-0 advantage. Unfortunately, Rockford was unable to hold onto the lead as Illinois Tech answered back in the 26th minute to tie the game. The Scarlet Hawks then added two more goals over the next 10 minutes to take a 3-1 lead into halftime. Things did not improve in the second half for Rockford as the Scarlet Hawks outshot the Regents 8-2 and scored two more goals to seal the 5-1 victory.

The men's soccer team returns to action on Friday, September 4 at Iowa Wesleyan. The match has a scheduled start time of 1:00 PM.