LORETTO, Pa. (Aug. 17, 2011) – The Saint Francis men's soccer team cashed in on a late goal in each half to earn a 2-0 exhibition win against Cleveland State in the team's first action of the 2011 season.

“Today's game is exactly what a beginning preseason game looks like, a lot of good things with a lot of things to look at and fix,” head coach Michael Casper said. “I am happy with the shutout as Cleveland State is a good team. Overall, I am pleased with today's performance and now we will learn from it and hopefully improve for the next game.“

On a beautiful day in Loretto, the game remained scoreless as the first half neared its end. With a minute and a half remaining, Red Flash midfielder Tobi Iguade (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) collected his own rebound and booted a left-footed strike past the Vikings goalkeeper Brad Stuver to put SFU up at the half by the score of 1-0.

As the second half progressed, both teams continued to play solid defense and did not allow the other many offensive chances. Senior midfielder David Butler (Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield) provided the Red Flash with some breathing room as the clock began to wind down in the second half. Butler chipped a ball just over the reach of Vikings keeper Toby Frohlich to give Saint Francis the final 2-0 mark with just under seven minutes left on the clock.

Junior Thomas McWilliams (Mermaid Waters, Australia/Palm Beach Currumbin) got the start in goal and made two saves in two chances. Freshman Pablo Medina (Monterrey, Mexico/IMG Academies) got his first taste of Red Flash soccer and led the team in shots with five.

Saint Francis continues exhibition play this Saturday when they travel to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. for an afternoon matchup with Marist.