WAUKESHA, Wis. -  Challenging early-season nonconference matchups can often test the mettle of a young, up-and-coming team and force it to play with a heightened sense of urgency.
The Carroll University men's soccer team experienced that firsthand as it lost to Pacific Lutheran University 1-0 in a fast-paced, physical nonconference game at Schneider Stadium on Monday night.
It was the second consecutive home-field loss of the season for Carroll, which dropped to 0-2 overall with the inspired Labor Day performance.
Freshman forward Archie Caldwell scored what became the winning goal off an assist from senior midfielder Spencer Hokama at the 32:18 mark for Pacific Lutheran, which improved to 3-0 overall following the final game of its fall trip to Wisconsin.
Senior R.J. Noll and junior Cole Weaver each played a half at goalkeeper to help preserve a shutout for the Lutes, who outshot Carroll 8-5 in the contest - maintaining a critical 4-1 shot-on-goal advantage.
Despite the frustrating, nail-biting final outcome, Carroll first-year head coach Derek Marie emphasized that his team took another positive step forward and continued to make steady progress.
"Since the first day of the preseason, we naturally came in with the mentality of wanting to win every game but its been my experience that some of the best and most memorable efforts have often come in losses," said Marie, a former standout four-year center midfielder who started all 81 games for the Pioneers from 2005-2008 earning Midwest Conference all-league honors each of his four seasons (becoming one of only three players in team history to accomplish the feat) - finishing his career by ranking third all-time in program history in assists (20) and 12th in points (44). "At the end of the night, the guys left it all out on the field, had nothing left to give and that's all I could ever ask of them. Pacific Lutheran is a good team and showed why they are 3-0. Along those same lines, we're young and showed that we still have some things to work on. This type of matchup will only help in our preparation for the CCIW (College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin)."
The Pioneers' lone shot-on-goal opportunity came eight minutes into the second half but sophomore midfielder Tate Resch-Gauger's (Appleton, Wis.) attempt was saved by Noll at the 53:16 mark.
Senior defender Chad Peterson (Mukwonago, Wis.) and junior midfielder Peanut Taylor (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) each generated two shots.
Junior goalkeeper Connor Thompson (Kent, Wash.) registered three saves in playing the entire 90 minutes for Carroll.
The Pioneers showcased their heart and determination by attempting to tie the game within the final minutes but couldn't finish.
Thompson made an impressive diving block to prevent a Pacific Lutheran penalty kick with 3:47 remaining - providing a spark that eventually led to back-to-back Carroll ill-fated shots.
"We're still looking to get our first goal of the season so once that happens it will hopefully open the flood gates for a whole lot more to come," Marie added. "Even though we have a very difficult nonconference schedule, the guys truly care about their performance on the field, continue to embrace each challenge and are approaching each situation with a positive attitude."