Trojans own second half, edge Mustangs in opener

HANNIBAL, Mo. -- The Mount Mercy men's soccer team held a 1-0 lead at halftime, but Hannibal-LaGrange out-shot the Mustangs, 10-4, after the break to earn a 2-1 victory on Saturday afternoon.

Mount Mercy (0-1-0) held a 9-2 advantage in shots in the opening period but only converted one, an Itsuki Ishihara (JR/Hyogo, Japan) goal assisted by Yu Sasaki (JR/Nara, Japan) in the 18th minute. The lead held up until Simon Conrad leveled the contest in the 50th minute. It stayed that way until six minutes before full time when the Trojans' Benjamin Contreras drilled the game-winner.

Overall, the Mustangs out-shot the Trojans (1-0-0), 13-12, but Hannibal-LaGrange put seven shots on goal compared to just four by Mount Mercy. Iker Roncal stopped three of the four shots he faced while Mustang goalkeeper Jose Perez Piqueras (SO/Madrid, Spain) made five saves.

Mount Mercy begins the Heart of America Athletic Conference schedule this week. The Mustangs are at Clarke (0-0-0) on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Dubuque, then host Evangel (1-1-0) in their home debut on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the Robert W. Plaster Athletic Complex.