DUBUQUE, Iowa – After a number of close calls by the Eagle offense, the Edgewood College men's soccer team lost their first match of the season, 2-0, at the University of Dubuque on Wednesday night.

Eagle goalkeeper Dan Dombrowski totaled four saves in a back-and-forth first half until the Spartans (2-0) broke a scoreless tie with a minute to go in the period. The Eagles (2-1) were outshot 13-6 in the final half, including 27-11 on the game, but offered numerous quality looks down the stretch in their attempt to battle back.

Early in the second, Luke Miller's potential equalizer sailed wide on a breakaway attempt and his header in the 66th minute was denied by a finger-tip save by the UD goalkeeper. Garrett Lee's screamer from the left side was saved in the 73rd and represented the Eagles last good look.

Miller and Lee combined for five of the Eagles' six shots on goal in their first-ever matchup with a Spartan team that put the game away with their second goal in the 79th minute. Dombrowski tallied a career-high eight saves in his third career match.

"We're really pleased with the gutty effort tonight against a very good Dubuque team – the guys showed tremendous grit playing on back-to-back nights," said Head Coach Derek Helmer. "It was a great early season test and we'll definitely take a lot out of this match and learn from it. We had some spells in the second half where we played very well. In the end, our finishing in the final third has to improve. We've created a lot of chances so far this season but need to learn how to convert more of them into actual goals."

The Eagles will attempt to bounce back from their first loss of the season at Bluffton University (Ohio) this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. central time.