COLUMBIA, Mo. – MBU Men's Soccer scored first on Tuesday night but fell victim to a multi-goal second half by hosts Columbia in a 3-1 defeat. The Spartans are now 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the AMC.
 
It was an ideal start for the visiting Spartans after the opening goal arrived inside the first five minutes. After a foul deep in Columbia territory, Dom Smith delivered a free kick to the back post. Richie Taylor was there to get a foot on it to give MBU an early 1-0 lead. It was the first of the year and the sixth career goal for the junior defender.
 
Columbia responded just over five minutes later to equalize and the match eventually went into halftime tied at one. The match remained even all the way until the 73^rd minute when the hosts capitalized on failed clearance attempt by the Spartans. Maclain Petri found himself behind the MBU defense and converted to give Columbia a late 2-1 lead.
 
With the Spartans pushing forward in an attempt to find a second goal, the Cougars once again took advantage in the 82^nd minute. This time it was Nathan Durdle who beat MBU keeper Davide Bucarelli to make it 3-1. Bucarelli would finish with four saves for the Spartans. The final shot count was 15-3 in favor of CC.
 
Missouri Baptist will now have a week off before meeting Harris-Stowe at home on October 14. Kickoff at Spartan Field is set for 3 pm. Fans are not permitted at home events this fall but matches can be viewed live at SpartanDigitalNetwork.com.