KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Despite a strong late effort from the entire team, Avila men's soccer could not quite complete a rally from two goals down, and Dordt (1-1-0) spoiled the Eagles' (0-3-0) home opener with a tightly-contested 2-1 decision on Saturday afternoon at The Z.

The Defenders managed just one shot on goal in their season-opening loss at William Woods Thursday and weren't much more dynamic Saturday, but a pair of nice setups led to two goals by the 60^th minute, and that was all the visitors needed to earn the win. But Avila certainly made Dordt work for it: in front of a crowd of more than 300, the Eagles pushed back hard in the final 20 minutes, getting a goal back and nearly getting a second, but ultimately could not break through a Defender team that was known for its defense a season ago.

Both of Dordt's goals came courtesy of good linkup play: Robin Grewohl played in Marco Laenen with a lofted entry pass for a headed goal in the first half, and Blake Hansen's through pass gave Javier Moscardo a clean look at cage in the second half, putting the Defenders up 2-0 just ahead of the 60-minute mark.

There have been times in team history where that second goal would've been an early death knell for Avila men's soccer. But though that goal would ultimately prove to be the game-winner, instead of checking out of the game the Eagles flipped a switch and checked back in, dialing up the intensity and urgently making an effort to get back in the game.

That effort came to fruition in the 72^nd minute when Malcolm Goswell, who had been active all half, spun away from a defender near the end line and whipped in a low cross towards the net that Ismaiel Cisse headed home effortlessly for his first goal as an Eagle and the team's first score of the season.

Dordt goalkeeper Mitchell Dryden allowed only four goals over nine games all of last season, and the Eagles got one by him with nearly 20 minutes to play. With yellow cards starting to come in for both teams, both sides continued to push: Sam Kanda had a shot blocked on one end, and Hansen redirected a header wide on the other. Avila's best chance came on a shot that didn't even count: Hansen made a ridiculous leaping save to turn the Eagles aside in the final seven minutes, but the play had already been blown offside, negating the chance, and Avila's bid for a second-half comeback came up just a little bit short.

Up next, Avila makes the short trip north to Parkville, Missouri to face local foes Park on Wednesday night. The men's game will kick off first at 5 PM with the women to follow at 7:30; for details on how to watch and follow along, stay tuned to Avila Athletics on social media as well as avilaathletics.com.