SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Mission University men's soccer hosted Union University on Saturday afternoon, where the Patriots battled through a physical 90 minutes before falling 4–0 to the visiting Bulldogs at Lake Country Soccer.
Union opened the scoring midway through the first half as Rich Rokodi-Phelps found the net in the 18th minute to give the Bulldogs an early edge. Despite the setback, Mission's back line — anchored by Kevin Amaro, Daniel Williams, and Rome Johnson — held firm for the remainder of the half, keeping the deficit at one going into the break.
The Bulldogs extended their advantage in the 60th minute with a goal from Finn Jacobs, followed shortly by two strikes from Noel Pataki (61st and 82nd minutes) that put the match out of reach.
Goalkeeper Jordon Shaw stood tall in goal once again for Mission, recording seven saves against 11 shots on target. On the offensive side, Austin Miller, Andrey Smolin, and Kyler Rowe each registered shots on goal, while Nevan Lindoprovided energy off the bench in the midfield.
Union finished the match with a 17–4 advantage in total shots and a 9–0 edge in corner kicks, using their possession control to keep the Patriots on the defensive for much of the contest.
Despite the scoreline, Mission showed composure and fight throughout the match — particularly in the first half — as the team continues to build chemistry through a challenging early-season schedule.
The Patriots (0–7–0) will look to bounce back next week as they continue their conference play.