Falcon Men’s Soccer Comes Up Short Against SIUE in Home Opener, 2-1

USAF ACADEMY – Following lightning delays and a change of venue, Air Force came up short against SIUE in the 2025 home opener, 2-1, Thursday evening in the Holaday Athletic Center. The Falcons, remaining in the hunt for their first win, dropped to 0-3 this season while the Cougars tallied their first positive result (1-1).

Action kicked off at Cadet Soccer Stadium with Air Force and SIUE battling for control of the early possessions up to the 19^th minute when a nearby lightning strike warranted a delay. Despite the will to play, multiple lightning strikes resulted in a delay over two hours where-then the decision was made to move the match into Air Force's indoor facility, the Holaday Athletic Center (HAC).

Following a brief warm-up on the indoor turf pitch, the teams played on with the clock set to 19:11. The Falcons' Oliver Becker was the first to attempt a shot in the HAC at 22', sailing wide right; however, it was the Cougars who went on to strike first as Evan Howard scored an unassisted strike at 27'.

Air Force forward Marcos Goni made a quality attempt in the 32^nd minute but SIUE keeper, Noah Scheidweiler was up to task and made the save. The Cougars pressed on and saw success in the 42^nd minute as Wes Gibson serviced Colin Bastianoni for the second strike. SIUE took the sideline at halftime with a two-nil advantage. The Falcons took eight shots in the first half, equaling their season shot total prior to the evening's match.

Undeterred by the deficit, Air Force pressed on. In the 52^nd minute, an errant pass by the Cougars in their own third found its way to C3C Attila Toth who capitalized for a goal one-on-one with Scheidweiler, igniting the Falcons.

Despite the change in momentum, SIUE was able to quell the AF uprising, denying the Falcons a shot for the remainder of the match. The Cougars maintained control of the possessions until the final horn.

When the dust settled, Air Force fired off a season-best 10 shots, led by Goni with three attempts all on frame. Teammates Toth and Quinn Muderlack took two shots apiece while team captain Oliver Becker, Sean Odle, and Maximilian Perez took a shot each.

Falcon keeper Brody Smith made three saves on the night against 14 SIUE shots, five coming on frame. Scheidweiler finished the match with six saves. The Air Force defense was anchored by team captain Andrei Bulankou, Abhinav Ramaraju, and Oliver Wagner who all clocked 90 minutes of action.

Next up, the Falcons travel to Riverside, California, for a Labor Day matchup against UC Riverside. Action at UCR Soccer Stadium is slated for 7:15pm PT on Monday, September 1. AF returns home for the second match of the week, hosting Cal Poly on Friday, September 5. Action at Cadet Soccer Stadium kicks off at 7pm MT.

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