WILLIAMSON, Ky. – The SCAD men's soccer team competed in their second road match in three days falling 1-0 to Union Commonwealth on a late goal Sunday evening at Williamson Stadium. Despite holding a man advantage for over 40 minutes, the Bees could not find a breakthrough and saw the hosts snatch the winner with just 91 seconds left on the clock.
After a quick turnaround from Friday's contest, SCAD looked composed defensively but struggled to generate offensive chances in the opening 20 minutes. Union Commonwealth enjoyed more of the early possession, but goalkeeper Noa Sonntag and the Bees' back line kept the hosts at bay, with Sonntag making a pair of sharp saves in the opening half.
The Bees nearly found the breakthrough on two occasions before halftime. In the 24th minute, Moritz Prattes latched onto a low ball into the box and struck firmly toward goal, only to be denied by Union Commonwealth's keeper Gabriel Mendoza. Just over 10 minutes later, Sebastian Gomez curled a right-footed effort from distance that took a dangerous deflection and rattled the crossbar. The SCAD bench believed the shot had clipped the frame of the goal, but play was controversially halted when the referee ruled it had instead hit the football uprights behind the net, wiping away what could have been the opening goal.
Union Commonwealth continued to test SCAD's defense, earning five first-half corner kicks, but Sonntag and the Bees' back line cleared away the danger to send the match into halftime scoreless.
The second half opened with immediate intensity. Just three minutes in, Union Commonwealth's Tyrique Bailey-Edwards was shown a straight red card after striking Prattes in the face, leaving the hosts down to 10 men for the final 40 minutes.
While the man advantage shifted possession heavily in SCAD's favor, the Bees struggled to turn that control into dangerous opportunities. Passes often broke down in the final third, and clear scoring chances were limited. The best look came from Mario Goic, who tested Mendoza with a left-footed effort, but the Union Commonwealth goalkeeper was up to the task once again.
As the clock wound down, tired legs became a factor for SCAD. In the 89th minute, Union Commonwealth sprung a counterattack, and Ron-Jay Watson put slotted a shot away to give the hosts the decisive goal.
The Bees pushed desperately for an equalizer in the closing moments and appeared to have won a penalty when a Union Commonwealth defender was judged by many to have handled the ball inside the box. No call was given, and protests led to further drama as Goic was shown a second yellow card for dissent, reducing SCAD to 10 men in stoppage time.
SCAD finished with 13 total shots, nine of which were on target, while Union Commonwealth tallied nine shots and five on frame. The match was highly physical, with 15 fouls and 11 cards (including two red cards) issued between the two teams.
The Bees move to 0-2-0 on the season and will look to regroup after the tough road stretch. SCAD will return to action next week, seeking their first win of the 2025 campaign as they return home to host Milligain Univiersity on Wednesday.
