INDIANAPOLIS - The UIndy men's soccer team fell on the road 2-1 to the Rockhurst University Hawks in their first game of in-conference play.
The Greyhounds came out swinging finding the first shot of the game in just the 2nd minute, the earliest attempt of their season.
Rockhurst attempted to respond with a pair of shots around the 10 minute mark, but the Greyhound backline blocked a shot before Rick Lammerts saved another Rockhurst attempt from the ensuing corner kick.
Head coach Gabe Hall opted for fresh legs early on in the first half with multiple substitutions in the opening 25 minutes of action.
After the second wave of substitutes the Greyhounds notched their first shot on goal of the contest, and only of the first half, courtesy of Sam Siegel which was stopped in the 29th minute by the Hawks.
The UIndy attack attempted to ramp up pressure finding corner kicks in the 34th and 35th minutes before a barrage of shots soared in from the Hawks late in the first half, however both teams remained even at zero entering the halftime whistle.
Once the second half whistle rang, so did the sound of a Greyhound goal in the 48th minute as Joey Longo scored his first of the season thanks to an excellent cross that Owen Parrish sent in from outside the box.
Sam Siegel looked to continue the fun with another shot in the 54th minute, but the ball found its way just off target. As the second half progressed so did the Greyhounds' control of possession, securing the vast majority of the first 30 minutes of the second half with the ball at their feet.
When the possession battle moved back even the Hawks found their first corner kick since the first half just after the 70th minute of play. Rockhurst volleyed a shot on target off the corner which was saved out of play by Lammerts, but on the second attempt from the corner flag the hosts would not be denied, slotting the ball into the back of the net to return even with UIndy.
Rockhurst controlled possession, frequently pushing towards the Greyhound goalline in the final 10 minutes of the game and the repeated attempts ultimately led to the lead-taking goal in the 86th minute.
The Greyhounds looked to fight back over the final four minutes, including another shot on goal from Longo with just over 90 seconds to go, but the Hawks snagged up another timely save.
UIndy will return to action on the road as they take on Quincy Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 3:30 p.m.
