UDC Men’s Soccer Defeats St. Thomas Aquinas 2-1 in ECC Thriller

Washington, D.C. -The University of the District of Columbia men's soccer team secured a 2-1 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas College on Wednesday in a pivotal East Coast Conference (ECC) matchup at UDC Turf Field. With this win, the Firebirds improve their conference standing in a tightly contested game that saw standout performances from goalkeeper Giovanni Llamas and forward Ignacio Lopez.

UDC opened the scoring in the first half when Ignacio Lopez netted a goal in the 34th minute, assisted by Axel Gamez and Anthony Diaz, putting the Firebirds up 1-0. St. Thomas Aquinas responded in the second half with an equalizer by Mika Leue in the 60th minute, assisted by Elias Ait Bouali.

The match-winning moment came in the 79th minute when Ignacio Lopez scored his second goal of the game from a penalty kick, sealing the 2-1 victory for UDC.

Key Performances:

• Ignacio Lopez led the way for UDC with two goals, including a penalty kick, bringing his season tally to [insert total goals].
• Giovanni Llamas, UDC's goalkeeper, made 10 crucial saves, allowing only one goal to help secure the win.
• Anthony Diaz and Axel Gamez provided key assists in the Firebirds' offensive play.

Game Statistics:

• Shots: UDC 9, St. Thomas Aquinas 23
• Shots on Goal: UDC 4, St. Thomas Aquinas 11
• Saves: UDC 10, St. Thomas Aquinas 2
• Corner Kicks: UDC 2, St. Thomas Aquinas 7
• Fouls: UDC 6, St. Thomas Aquinas 7

Up next, UDC (4-7-2, 2-4 ECC) will hed to D'Youville University this Saturday for another key ECC match up. The game is slated to begin at 1:00pm.