Eureka Battles, Falls to Greenville, 5-2

EUREKA – The Eureka men's soccer team gave Greenville a battle at McKinzie Field on Wednesday evening, but the Panthers held the Red Devils off for a 5-2 victory.

After going down two goals in a three-minute span in the first half, Khalil Alleyne (Diego Martin, Trinidad/Fatima College/Lincoln) put the Red Devils on the board on an assist by Isaac Noriega (Chicago, Ill./Muchin College Prep) in the 31st minute.

Eureka stayed within one goal the rest of the first half, but Greenville's Pedro Gonzalez-Moro struck back a little over five minutes into the second half to make it a two-goal game again.

Greenville's Jared McPeek extended it to four goals in the 58th minute.

Instead of folding or letting the match get out of hand, the Red Devils stayed in it and kept pushing. The team switched from a defensive-minded formation to a more balanced formation and saw its share of good combinations in the midfield.

In the 81st minute, Alleyne found the back of the net again on an assist by Raphael Mungu (Bloomington, Ill./Normal). It started with Troy Arries (Cape Town, South Africa, Wynberg) retrieving a give away in the midfield and playing it to Mungu on the left side. Mungu proceeded to dribble it into the box and lay it off to Alleyne just outside the top of the box. The Red Devils' leading goal scorer took a touch into space and buried it.

With less than 90 seconds remaining, the Red Devils had their best chance to come a goal closer. Jacob Russow (Streator, Ill./Streator/Lincoln) received a ball down the right side, turned into the box and got a shot off just on the edge of the six-yard box. The ball went just wide of the frame. On the ensuing goal kick, Greenfield won it in the middle and quickly countered with a fifth and final goal to lock it up.

Freshman goalkeeper Brayton Strawkas (Buffalo, Ill./Tri-City) tallied eight saves in 90 minutes in net for the Red Devils.

Eureka (4-7, 2-5 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) will next take on Westminster (2-8-1, 2-4-1) on the road on Saturday in a match that will have a big impact on deciding the top six in the conference. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.