The Oglethorpe men's soccer team hosted their home opener Saturday at Salamone Field, facing off against national opponent Elmhurst. Unfortunately, the visiting Blue Jays left with a 2-0 victory, dropping the Stormy Petrels to 4-4-1 on the season.

The Petrels had the run-of-play early, repeatedly getting solid possession in the first five minutes of the game. However, all that changed when Elmhurst scored off of a free kick in the seventh minute of play. The 1-0 deficit briefly knocked the Petrels back on their heels, though they recovered and the two teams played mostly evenly for the remainder of the half. Elmhurst still held the 1-0 lead at the halftime break, though, having outshot the Petrels 6-5 over the course of the period. 

In the second half, though, the Petrels went all out in an attempt to pick up the equalizer. They outshot the Blue Jays 15-6 over the course of the second half and won five corner kicks to Elmhurst's none. Several chances went just wide, though, and the Petrels could not get the goal that would tie the game.

Then in the 80th minute, Elmhurst all but put the game away with their second goal, extending the lead to 2-0. The Petrels had a few chances after that but never could score, and Elmhurst held on for the 2-0 victory.

Overall, the Petrels outshot the Blue Jays, 20-12, with both teams putting four shots on goal. For the game, Oglethorpe took six corner kicks to Elmhurst's none. Sophomore goalkeeper Vaughn Moore made a couple of saves on the day. Senior Eyal Schechter and junior Nick Muntean both fired four shots on the day while senior Carlos Gaston recorded three.

The 4-4-1 Stormy Petrels will next take the field Tuesday, when they welcome in-state opponent Piedmont to Salamone Field. That game will kick off at 4 p.m.