ST. LOUIS—MBU Men's Soccer (0-2) survived nearly 60 minutes playing a man-down but ultimately fell 2-1 to Northwestern College (Iowa) (2-0) on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans will continue the search for win number one next Thursday on the road against Governors State.
 
Saturday's home opener at Spartan Field was turned on its head in the 33^rd minute. MBU defender Nicolo Tossici was shown a straight red card after a challenge at midfield. The Spartans survived the final 11 minutes of the first half shorthanded.
 
The red card would prove to be just the first plot twist though. Two minutes into the second half, off a corner kick, a header by Richie Taylor ricocheted off the hand of a Northwestern defender inside the penalty area. The referee pointed to the spot and Dom Smith converted the PK. Despite the odds being stacked against them, the Spartans had a 1-0 lead.
 
Now down a goal but up a man, it took Northwestern nearly 30 more minutes to record its first shot on goal of the second half. In the 70^th minute, a challenge by Richie Taylor at the top of the Spartan penalty area resulted in a Red Raiders' player going down. Again, the official pointed to the spot. Juan Mackrey stepped forward for NW and beat MBU keeper Wessel Berenschot to equalize.
 
Just minutes after the tying goal, the Spartans had a golden opportunity to reclaim the lead. Grant Strauser sent Emilio Hernandez in on a semi-breakaway. Hernandez was taken down though by a challenge from the side by a NW defender. The official took a moment to think about it before showing a yellow card instead of a straight red. The resulting free kick from just outside the box was blocked away by the Red Raider wall.
 
That would go down as Mo. Bap's best opportunity and the disadvantage of being a man-down would eventually catch up to them. In the 85^th minute, a failed clearance attempt off a corner resulted in the go-ahead goal for the visitors. Riley Aarbo struck a well-placed shot that gave Berenschot no chance at a save.
 
The final 20 minutes featured five yellow cards to bring the game total to nine. The final straw for MBU was a second yellow shown to forward Louie Perez in the 89^th minute. That sent the Spartans down to nine men and effectively ended the hopes of a comeback.
 
The Spartans will now head out on the road for the next two. They'll meet Governors St. in University Park, Ill. next Thursday (2:00 pm) and Judson in Elgin, Ill. next Saturday (12:00 pm). They return home to face No. 1 Missouri Valley on Friday September 10.