WAUKESHA, Wis. - Challenging nonconference matchups can often work to test the mettle of a young, determined team. 
The Carroll University men's soccer team experienced that firsthand as it lost to Wartburg College 1-0 in a fast-paced, physical game at Schneider Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
It was the third straight one-goal loss and fifth of the season for the Pioneers, who dropped to 2-7-1 overall. 
Following a scoreless opening half, Wartburg eventually ended the deadlock as junior forward Ayo Adebayo scored the winning goal off an assist from sophomore defender Riley Close at the 77:21 mark.
It was the third consecutive victory for the Knights, who remained undefeated on the road and improved to 6-1-1 overall.
Junior goalkeeper Paul Koebke Barsic made a critical early save on a shot by Carroll sophomore defender Issey Valadez (Milwaukee, Wis.) in the 13th minute to help preserve a shutout for Wartburg, which outshot the Pioneers 13-6 - including a 5-1 shot-on-goal margin.
Carroll has been outscored 22-16 through 10 games this season and outshot 138-76, including a 60-44 margin in the second half. 
Senior midfielder Tlaloc Huerta (Delavan, Wis.) generated two shots with Valadez, senior midfielder Brandon Johnston (Raleigh, N.C.), freshman defender Scott Biancofiori (Janesville, Wis.) and freshman defender Tate Resch-Gauger (Appleton, Wis.) each adding one.
Junior goalkeeper Nick Drew (Milton, Wis.), who split time with senior starter Jeremy Pasterz (Antioch, Ill.), registered four saves in playing 49 minutes.
Carroll head coach Rick Mobley was disappointed with the hard-fought final outcome but stressed that his young team needs to learn from each difficult lesson, remain resilient and continue to play aggressively while attempting to reach its full potential. 
"The running theme this season has been how we've consistently battled with very good teams but then fallen victim to one big, costly mistake each time," said Mobley, of his team's string of frustrating one-goal losses. "That's the pain that ultimately has come with playing a difficult schedule throughout the course of the year. By the same token, it also has served as a positive, taught a lot of great lessons along the way and served as a great motivator to get better.
"We've experienced some tough losses but at this point the resilience begins with how we handle the adversity the moment we walk off the field and into the locker room. Through it all, we've shown good character so now it's just a matter of translating that into making good decisions at critical points in the game. That's the one area we've been lacking in so hopefully we can battle through it, focus on the challenges to come and put together a great second half of the season."