Box Score CHAMPAIGN, Ill. —The Parkland College men's soccer team suffered its first setback of the season Saturday afternoon, falling 2–1 to Lincoln Trail College in a tense, physical home match.

Forward Alexander Williams gave the Cobras an early lead with a clinical strike in the first half, setting an energetic and optimistic tone. Parkland carried the 1–0 advantage into halftime, but the second half saw a clear shift in momentum.

Head coach Mark Sikora praised his team's energy out of the gate, "I really liked how we started today, coming out fast and driven to score. Hats off to Alexander Williams for opening his scoring account on a fantastic strike to get us going." 

Lincoln Trail capitalized on a pair of scoring opportunities after the break, while the Cobras were hampered by a flurry of fouls and cards that disrupted rhythm and flow. Despite generating nine total shots, with five on goal, Parkland just couldn't find the equalizer, finishing the match with three yellow cards and a red card all issued in the second half.

"All the credit goes to the other team for causing us to be uncomfortable with that sort of play and when the game is on a knife's edge, it comes down to them converting their opportunities and we did not," Sikora commented of his team's performance. 

With the loss, Parkland moves to 2–1–0 on the season. The Cobras will look to regroup when they travel to Creve Coeur, Missouri, to play Mineral Area College on Friday, September 5th at 4:00PM. 

For more information about Parkland College Athletics, visit www.parklandcobras.com or follow @ParklandCobras on social media.