The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's soccer team netted an early goal from Ethan Evans, but couldn't hold off Mercy College in a 3-1 East Coast Conference setback at Mavericks Field. The Spartans fall to 2-2-1, 1-1-0 with the loss, while Mercy remains perfect at 5-0-0, 2-0-0.

St. Thomas Aquinas struck quickly, with Evans converting a feed from Jack Legg to put the visitors on top in the eighth minute. Mercy would answer quickly, however, as Christian Diaz hit the net five minutes later to deadlock the score.

That tie would last for just two minutes, as Danny Leon, Jr. struck twine after a free kick, putting the Mavericks ahead for the first time. Both teams settled in after the initial scoring flurry, with the score remaining unchanged through halftime despite Mercy's 14-4 edge in shots.

A tense, evenly-played second half would ensue with STAC in search of the equalizer, but it was the home squad that would find the big goal as Diaz struck from well outside the box with just under 15 minutes to play, giving Mercy a 3-1 cushion that they would ride to the final whistle.

Mercy enjoyed a shots advantage of 23-11 overall, with Spartans keeper Nathan Mangione making seven saves, with his counterpart Nick Papas turning aside six shots to earn the win.

The Spartans will now enjoy a lengthy stretch of games at Spartan Field, playing the first of six straight home contests this Tuesday, September 24, when Briarcliffe College pays a visit. STAC plays 10 of its final 11 games of the season at home.