PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Houghton men's soccer battled strong against St. John Fisher on Wednesday evening, but came up short by a 3-1 margin on the road.

The Cardinals pulled ahead 1-0 in the ninth minute, but Houghton got the equalizer 30 minutes later to go into the break tied at 1. The hosts scored twice in the second half to put the game away.

GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton 1 | St. John Fisher 3
Location: Pittsford, NY. | Growney Stadium
Attendance: 83
Records: Houghton 3-9-1 (1-5-1 E8) | St. John Fisher 6-4-4 (5-1-2 E8)

DETAILS
>> After falling behind 1-0 early, Samuel O'Brien pulled the Highlanders even off an assist from Aidan Fish in the 40th minute.
>> Houghton outshot the Cardinals 6-3 in the opening stanza and seemed to half the momentum heading into the final 45 minutes.
>> The hosts took only four minutes to regain command in the second half, going up 2-1 in the 49th minute.
>> The Cardinals added an insurance goal in the 87th minute to spoil any Highlander hopes of tying the score.

NOTABLE STATS
>> Total shots were 13-8 in favor of the Cardinals as they outshot Houghton 10-2 in the second half. 
>> Houghton had the advantage in corners, 2-1.
>> Joshua Smith made six saves in net.
>> O'Brien and Alex Kalivoda led Houghton with two shots apiece.
>> Houghton is still looking for its first win against the Cardinals since 2016 as they are 0-7-2 in that span. Houghton had a 4-0-1- record against the Cardinals from 2012-2016.

COACH McCOLL SAYS...
"The guys battled hard tonight against a good St John Fisher team. A slow start in each half has hurt us tonight but outside of that, I'm really proud of how the team performed."

UP NEXT
The Highlanders return home for their first E8 battle with SUNY Poly on Saturday, October 19 at 2 p.m.