MOLINE, Ill. — The Stormers men's soccer team came up short in their search for a first win of the 2025–26 campaign, falling 3-1 to Black Hawk College on Saturday despite an early lead.

Just six minutes into the match, MATC's Reynaldo Paniagua broke the scoreless tie with a goal off a well-placed assist from second-year midfielder Giovanni Guerrero. However, the Stormers' defense struggled to hold the advantage, conceding three unanswered goals over the final 84 minutes, two of which came in the closing five minutes of the first half.

"While the result wasn't what we set out to achieve, there's clear growth in this team," Gentry said following the loss. "We scored first, and for most of the first half, we played with confidence and cohesion. Unfortunately, we lost focus in the final minutes of the first half and conceded two quick goals…improvement is happening — it's just not yet reflected in the final scoreline."

Starting goalkeeper Maxwell Clarksen recorded four saves but allowed two goals before halftime. Trailing 2-1 at the break, head coach Aron "Buddy" Gentry made a change in net, bringing in Sam Kulibert, who added five saves while allowing one goal in the second half.

Offensively, MATC was limited to six shots—all on target—while Black Hawk fired off 19 shots, converting all three of their shots on goal.

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MATC (0-3-1) returns home to host South Suburban College at 2:15 p.m. Saturday in Oak Creek.