A three-point effort from Gary Simkus was not enough for the Wabash soccer team Wednesday night. The Little Giants lost 3-2 to Rose-Hulman when the host Engineers score in the final two minutes.
"This is a heartbreaking loss," head coach Roberto Giannini said after the match. "We came out with the same intensity we showed in the final 25 minutes of Sunday’s match against Case Western. But we could not sustain it. We are just not able to maintain our style of soccer at this time."
Simkus hit sophomore George Padgitt with a pass in front of the net. The sophomore forward blasted the shot past the Rose-Hulman goalkeeper for his second goal of the year and a 1-0 lead for the Little Giants.
That lead lasted for only six minutes. The Engineers responded with a two-on one goal from David Mcilwaine after slipping past the Wabash defense to even the match at 1-1.
Sophomore Jon Funston launched a pass from 25 yards away from the goal to Padgitt in front of the net. He quickly flicked a pass to Simkus, who picked up his first goal of the season while sending Wabash to the halftime break with a 2-1 lead. But Rose tied the match in the 74th minute.
It appeared the match would head into overtime. But with 1:30 left on the game clock, Nate Becker took a pass between two defenders before passing to Trevor Miller for the game-winning goal.
"Our wind ran out," Giannini said. "We started making too many mistakes. When you give a team six or seven chances, eventually it leads to a goal.
"We are slowly playing better soccer. We played well in the first half. We are just not where we need to be yet."
Wabash managed only seven shots in the match, but put four of those on net. Junior Jon Miller made four saves .
The Little Giants (0-3) travel to Pennsylvania to play in the two-day Jimmy Miller Tournament at Haverford College. Wabash opens play Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. against the host Fords.