The Lakeland men's soccer team traveled to Toledo today and dropped a tightly contested 2-1 match to the Owens Express in OCCAC play. Byron Perez scored the lone goal for the Lakers on an assist from Abram Gutierrez. On the goal, a long ball was played to Gutierrez who swiftly headed the ball to Perez for a tap in. The goal was scored 15 minutes into the match and staked the Lakers to a 1-0 lead. The Express would answer though and the teams went into the break tied at 1. In the second half, the teams would battle thoughout with neither team gaining a significant advantage. Late in the game, Lakeland became disorganized in their defense end. Unfortunately, the Express broke through and scored the winning goal in the last minute of play. 

Jomar Bravo took the tough luck loss in net.

Stats were not available at time of print.

Coach Torres Talks: "We started strong and we controlled much of the play throughout the first half. Getting the lead was good, but even after we conceded, we still had a significant advantage with possession. They caught us at the end as we became disorganized. That's a tough one that we need to learn from. We have a good challenge coming up this weekend - we'll get back, prepare, and come out ready to play on Saturday".   

Next Up: The Lakers will play host to the St. Clair County Skippers on Saturday (10/4) at Laker Field.  Kick-off is scheduled for noon.