WAUKESHA, Wis. - The Carroll University men's soccer team lost to Carthage College 1-0 in a cold, damp College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Schneider Stadium on Wednesday night.
It was the ninth loss by a one-goal margin for Carroll, which dropped to 1-6 in the conference standings and 3-13-1 overall.
Junior midfielder Adrian Herrera scored the winning goal on a penalty kick at the 18:41 mark for Carthage, which clinched a spot in the CCIW Tournament by improving to 4-2-1 in league and 11-6-2 overall.
The Red Men, who have won four consecutive games, outshot Carroll 16-5 - including a 12-1 shot-on-goal margin.
Junior forward Chad Peterson (Mukwonago, Wis.) generated two shots and had the lone shot on goal in the 34th minute for the Pioneers. Senior defender Jimmy Knackstedt (Johnsburg, Ill.), senior defender Nick Popp (New Berlin, Wis.) and freshman defender Tate Resch-Gauger (Appleton, Wis.) each added a shot.
Junior goalkeeper Connor Thompson (Kent, Wash.) registered 11 saves in playing the entire 90 minutes.
Senior forward Brandon Johnston (Raleigh, N.C.), one of nine seniors on the roster, emphasized that the team has continued to grow and compete hard despite the frustrating string of close losses this season.
"It's been a tough season but collectively we have played well and taken strides toward reaching our potential," said Johnston, who transferred to Carroll as a sophomore and has competed in 37 games. "Being a young team, at times it takes a difficult situation to help serve as a wakeup call and demonstrate what it ultimately takes to be successful. It's all about building the program from the ground up, taking positive steps and moving forward.
"If we can continue to develop our core group of players, it should only be a matter of time before things turn around. We have a very talented, skilled team and just need to continue to work on developing a good chemistry. As a senior, it has been interesting  being a part of the growth process while making the transition from the Midwest Conference to the CCIW.  It's been difficult at times but has shown that sometimes it takes a little suffering to truly enjoy the taste of victory at the end of the day.
"With one more game left in the season, we still have something to look forward to and hope to make the most of the experience. It will be a little bittersweet playing at home for the final time but we are going to do our best to represent Carroll in the best way possible and end the season on a good note."