BOX SCORE CINCINNATI, Ohio (Aug. 30, 2012) – In an inaugural matchup with a crowd of nearly 1,000 on hand, the Saint Francis University men's soccer team defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats 1-0 Thursday night at Gettler Stadium, to earn their first win of the 2012 season.

“What a great night for our team. I am really happy for our guys and proud of the way we were able to play for 90 minutes tonight,” head coach Michael Casper said. “To come into a place like Cincinnati, get a win and keep a clean sheet is a great accomplishment for our men.”

A foul on the Bearcats (1-2-0) at the 20:55 mark of the first half set up a free kick from the 30 for SFU (1-0-1) to be taken by Nick Kolarac (Pittsburgh, Pa./West Allegheny). The junior midfielder took advantage of the opportunity presented and delivered a shot past Cincinnati keeper Taylor Hafling. Kolarac's first goal of the season also marks the first goal of the year for Saint Francis and was the difference maker in the game.

Period one presented a good number of scoring chances for both teams, as Cincinnati edged out the lead in shots 7-6 and also held a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks. Even with the high number of chances, only one save was made in the half.

Offensive chances continued in the second half of action as it was the Flash this time that racked up the shots. SFU came out with a 9-6 advantage in period two and finished with the higher total, 15-13. Wayne Tiller (Magnolia, Del./Caesar Rodney), Kolarac and Alex Hainault (Montreal, Quebec/Westwood) all registered more than one shot in the game with Tiller's four leading the way.

Thursday night's contest proved to be very physical in nature as well, evidenced by the 19 total fouls and four bookings put up between the two squads.

Starting keeper Daniel Valcicak (Herndon, Va./Gonzaga College) made two stops on the night to collect the shutout win. As a team, dating back to last season, the Flash have not allowed a goal in eight consecutive contests.

Saint Francis returns to the pitch this Saturday Sept. 1 for a non-conference match against another Big East foe, Pittsburgh, beginning at 2 p.m.