ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Milwaukee men's soccer team could not catch a break Tuesday afternoon, falling to St. Thomas by final score of 1-0 at South Field.
 
The Panthers (3-6-1) had the better of the opportunities in the contest but fortune favored the Tommies (2-4-2) all afternoon, both on the goal they scored as well as the one the defense somehow prevented.
 
The home side, which produced just three shots on goal in the match, also got an impressive performance from Moritz Krenc in net, finishing with five saves highlighted by a stop on a penalty kick that had to be seen to be believed.
 
The game opened as a defensive battle and stayed that way deep into the first half. Stu Sain had the first shot for either side, with Krenc setting the tone on the day with an impressive stop at the 7:19 mark.
 
The MKE defense did not allow a shot of any kind until midway through the period and the next attempt of the game for either side didn't come until the 36^th minute. The game then turned in the 41^st minute following a PK attempt by Milwaukee. David Cox stepped up and sent the ball on frame, with Krenc missing with his diving attempt. The ball looked destined for the back of the net before Krenc somehow managed to get his cleat on the ball at the last-second to prevent the would-be tally.
 
The Tommies were able to ride that unexpected momentum to a 0-0 scoreline at the break and then took advantage of a well-placed bounce to score their goal when Jorge Pacheco was in the right place at the right time to head in a ball that caromed off the crossbar and back into play at the 46:29 mark.
 
A red card on the Panthers then forced them to play a man-down the final 30 minutes, but they weren't done yet. In the 77^th minute, Colin Alba sprung Bienvenu Djunga for a one-on-one with a brilliant backheel pass, only to see Krenc spring off his line and somehow smother the opportunity for the shorthanded equalizer.
 
The Panthers grabbed edges of 6-5 in total shots and 5-3 in shots on goal on the day, with six different players recording one apiece. In goal, Daniel Ibarra was credited with a pair of saves in another hard-luck defeat.
 
Up next, the team returns home to welcome Detroit Mercy Saturday for a 1 p.m. start from Engelmann Stadium.