The Case Western Reserve University men's soccer team suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday night at Purmort Field at Bernlohr Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, falling to Capital University 4-3.

With the loss the Spartans drop to 0-1-1 on the season, while the Comets improve to 1-1-0.

The Spartans took an early lead, scoring in the sixth minute. Following a high, arching pass into the box, the Capital goalkeeper punched the ball away. Sophomore midfielder Lukas Dalakis collected it and fired a strike into the back of the net for his first goal of the season.

Case Western Reserve doubled its advantage in the 17th minute. Senior midfielder Matt Vatne received an inlet pass from junior midfielder Jacob Salmon at the top, far corner of the box. He received the ball in stride and shot it past the goalkeeper into the top corner of the goal. It was the second goal in as many games for Vatne and the second assist of the season for Salmon.

In the 22nd minute, the hosts cut their margin in half when Devon Hess scored a goal with an assist from Jack Francisco. Hess tied the score in the 28th minute with his second goal of the match.

The Comets opened the second half with two early goals by Jacob Deever, scoring in the 47th and 49th minutes to take a 4-2 lead.

Later in the half, the Spartans cut into the deficit with a goal in the 75th minute. Dalakis ran down the sideline and crossed a ball into the box, finding senior midfielder Sean Atwater. Atwater finished, striking the ball low and past the goalkeeper for his first goal of the season. Dalakis earned his first assist of the year on the play.

CWRU was unable to tie the score over the final 15 minutes. The team's best opportunity came in the 81st minute with a free kick from about 35 yards out that struck the post.

Despite the score line, the Spartans outshot the Comets 20-8. Salmon and Vatne led the team with five shots each, with Dalakis tallying a team-leading two shots on goal.

Case Western Reserve heads home on Wednesday, September 7, when the Spartans host Bethany College on DiSanto Field at 7:30 p.m.