GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Despite a relentless offensive attack and a 26-14 advantage in shots, the Blue Devils suffered a tough 3-1 road loss to Aquinas. Lawrence Tech dictated the overall tempo of the match and aggressively forced the issue in the attacking third, but they were ultimately undone by clinical finishing on the counter-attack and an incredibly physical environment that produced 40 total fouls and a 55th minute red card issued to Lawrence Tech bench.
The Blue Devils found themselves in an early hole when Aquinas broke the ice in the 25th minute via a penalty kick. The deficit grew to 2-0 at the 40th minute, but Lawrence Tech responded with incredible resilience just before the break. With only seven seconds remaining in the first half, defender
Damian Addai struck an unassisted goal to cut the margin to 2-1 and inject massive energy into the Blue Devils ahead of the intermission.
Lawrence Tech carried that momentum directly into the second period, unleashing a staggering 16 shots, but the comeback bid was severely hampered by mounting frustration and a highly controversial sequence that saw the Blue Devils bench ejected. Aquinas then halted the rally entirely in the 64th minute when they struck again to reset the final 3-1 scoreline.
Ultimately, Lawrence Tech's furious comeback attempt ran directly into a brick wall in Aquinas goalkeeper. The Blue Devils frontline did everything but score in the second half resulting in athletic saves on dangerous strikes from
Pedro Roses,
Khaled Jamoukha, and
Alejandro Iglesias. Goalkeeper
Noa Benallegue fought hard in the net for Lawrence Tech, recording 4 saves on the night, but the Blue Devils were simply unable to find the critical finishing touch.
Their next game will be Saturday, October 17 against Rochester Christian University on the road.
