KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Jaime Gomez connected for a nice goal off a loose ball in the 58th minute and although that was all the Eagle offense would get, it was all the Eagle defense would need as Avila (2-2-0) defeated Kansas Christian (2-2-0) 1-0 on Thursday evening at The Z.

The victory is the second of the year for Avila men's soccer following the Eagles' 3-2 win over UHSP in the first match of the season. The Eagles now have as many victories this season as they collected across the past three seasons combined; Avila has now won multiple games in a season for the first time since 2018, a testament to the good work done by Robert Kelly and the Eagle coaches and to the talent level of all the new players Avila has added over the last year or so.

Avila has owned the all-time series against their nearby foes Kansas Christian – Avila has won the last three matches in the series by a combined score of 11-2 – and, in fact, the Falcons were the only team the Eagles were able to defeat over the past three seasons. That already isn't the case this year, but getting that second win, even over a non-NAIA school, is a legitimate achievement.

And in truth, this Falcon team looked superior to the ones that have played at The Z in years past. Both teams' defenses were very active on Thursday and did well to limit the amount of quality chances for their opponent – each team managed only four shots on target. Kansas Christian's best chances came in the opening 15 minutes when the Falcons progressed close the 18-yard box, forcing Avila goalkeeper Naguib Nassir to come out to aggressively defend. The Eagles forced the Falcons outside and an initial shot was blocked, but a follow-up chance went right towards a wide open net – or at least, it would have been wide open had Landon Burdick not moved back to cut the angle off and make a save.

Avila's two best chances of the half technically came on shots that didn't even hit the target. In the final few ten minutes of the half, Robert Davies blasted a shot just over the crossbar off a corner, and then Sam Kanda whipped in a shot towards the right post from the left wing that didn't miss wide by much.

The game remained scoreless at the halftime break, but the Eagles got out on the front foot to start the second half. Malcolm Goswell forced a save out of Joao dos Reis in the first ten minutes to force a corner kick, and, a few minutes later, Ko Oo, making his first start as an Eagle, cranked a cross into the box from his right back position. Ultimately, that pass bounced to a waiting Gomez, who swiftly turned on the ball and smacked it inside the left post to finally put the Eagles on the board.

Gomez scored the eventual game-winning goal against the Falcons last year, and the Eagle defense then did their part to ensure he'd get the GWG this year as well. An Eagle defense that looked different than it did just a couple of weeks ago never allowed the Falcons to get any high quality looks in the second half. Nassir was forced to make two saves but he handled them both easily, and newcomer Jonathan Fager entered in relief in the final seven minutes to close the door and wrap up a 1-0 Avila victory.

Up next for Avila men's soccer is the Eagles' first home doubleheader of the 2022 season alongside the Avila women. The Eagles will welcome in Harris-Stowe to The Z this Wednesday, September 14 for the final match before conference play begins this weekend against Bethel. The Eagle women will kick off at 2 PM on Wednesday with the men to follow around 4 PM. As always, you can watch the match live on the Avila Sports Network.