The No. 9 University of Mary Washington men's soccer team fell in a hard-fought battle to No. 24 Ohio Northern on Friday evening in the teams' first game of the season. There were more total cards (seven) than the Polar Bears had shots (six) in a physical matchup that came down to the last few minutes.

Ohio Northern had a chance to take a lead just a minute into the game on a penalty kick, but keeper Tristan Kickbush became a brick wall and blocked the early attempt. The Eagles, though, wouldn't be as lucky just over a minute later when the Polar Bears netted the lone goal of the game.

In the first half, Ohio Northern barely outshot UMW, 5-4, but it was the Eagles who took more shots in the second half, 5-1. Aside from the first two minutes of the game, UMW's defense only surrendered three more shots all game long. Kickbush, meanwhile, recorded a pair of saves in the first half. 

In the second half, all seven cards between the two teams came as the Eagles and Polar Bears got into a more physical contest. Mary Washington had a shot to tie the game on a free kick with just two minutes to spare at the top of the box. But Kickbush narrowly missed the game-tying goal as it hit off the crossbar and out of play.

The Eagles are back in action on Sunday at 3 p.m., following the Roy Gordon Field dedication at 2 p.m.