The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's soccer team was handed a 4-1 defeat in an East Coast Conference game at the University of the District of Columbia. The Spartans drop to 3-3-1 on the season and 1-1 in conference play, with UDC improving to 6-2, 2-0.

Less than 10 minutes into the contest, the hosts had the opportunity to take the lead when a penalty kick was awarded. Spartan goalkeeper Jack Nicholson made the initial save, but Gabriel Torres converted the rebound at 9:54 to stake the Firebirds to a 1-0 advantage. Despite being outshot by a 12-5 margin in the first half, STAC completed the half in a 1-1 tie after Alejandro Coyt-Orozco's cross was put home by Aljaz Mak at 27:41.

Torres took charge in the second half, scoring unassisted at 51:12 and completing the hat-trick at 58:03. With time winding down, Salah Waird closed out the scoring with a header at 87:07 to make the final score 4-1. STAC was outshot by a 19-14 margin for the afternoon, with Nicholson credited with five saves in taking the loss.

The Spartans, who are 2-0-1 on the season at home, will now play their next three in a row at Spartan Field, starting with a non-conference match with Goldey Beacom on Tuesday, September 26 at 4:00 pm. They will then host Bridgeport in an ECC battle on Saturday, September 30, and Queens visits for another conference tilt on Wednesday, October 4.