Box Score CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 7 ranked Parkland College men's soccer team fell short in a top-15 matchup against No. 14 St. Louis Community College on Saturday, September 16th, as the Cobras lost 2-1. The game looked like it was headed for a tie until a Parkland foul in the box with just three seconds remaining sent the Archers (5-2-2) to the penalty spot - and the visitors converted the chance to hand the Cobras (6-2-1) the loss. Freshman forward Hidenori Akasaka scored in the first half, his seventh goal of the season, and sophomore goalkeeper Harry Gray tallied two saves in 70 minutes of action.
 
"It was a tale of two halves," Parkland head coach Mark Sikora opined after the game. "Injuries and very uncharacteristic mistakes turned the game on its head, and we played some low-quality soccer. Much of the credit is due to a very tough opponent that sped us up in the second half and, we did not match that level of energy. This was a game that we could have won."
 
"We will need to learn from this one and improve if we want to consider ourselves a top team," Sikora concluded.
 
Scoring Summary:
PARKLAND GOAL: 32nd minute – Hidenori Akasaka (Assisted by Kyohei Kuroda)
            Halftime
St. LOUIS CC GOAL: 71st minute
St. LOUIS CC GOAL: 90th minute – PK
 
Up next, the Cobras welcome conference rival Heartland Community College to the Parkland College Soccer Field on Thursday, September 21st. Kick-off against the Hawks (2-4-2) is scheduled for 4:00 PM.