Governors State men’s soccer faced a busy week of conference action, taking on Saint Xavier, Judson, and St. Francis (Ill.) in a three-match stretch that saw the Jaguars show plenty of fight and flashes of the offensive potential that carried them earlier in the season.
Saint Xavier (IL) at Governors State
The Jaguars opened the week with a fast start against Saint Xavier, jumping ahead 2–0 in the first 10 minutes before eventually falling 4–2 at home. Francisco Espinoza got the early breakthrough just over two minutes in, finishing a setup from Diego Garcia. Moments later, Jaedan Aguilera doubled the advantage off a feed from Mark Vitaliy Hul to give GovState early control.
Saint Xavier clawed back before halftime and evened the score early in the second half, but GovState continued to press. Garcia delivered his second goal contribution of the day in the 68th minute, reclaiming the lead at 3–2 with help from Balys Zamalaitis. Saul Camacho added the final tally late to seal the win, closing out one of the Jaguars’ sharpest attacking displays of the season.
Goalkeeper Guillermo Vences made nine saves to anchor the effort in net as GovState fired 28 shots to Saint Xavier’s 10.
Judson (IL) at Governors State
Three days later, Governors State turned in a gritty defensive showing to earn a 0–0 draw against Judson. Both sides traded chances throughout, but neither could break through in front of goal. Keeper Matias Gallego posted four saves in his second shutout of the year, supported by a disciplined back line that weathered eight corner kicks and 21 total Judson shots.
Danail Mihaylov led the Jaguars with five shots, including two on goal, while Inigo Capellan and Leonardo Borges each picked up bookings in a physical matchup that stayed scoreless to the final whistle.
Governors State at St. Francis (IL)
Closing the stretch on the road, the Jaguars fell 2–1 at St. Francis despite a late push that nearly forced extra time. The Saints capitalized on an early free kick to take a first-half lead and extended it after the break, but Joan Gallardo pulled one back in the 81st minute, bending a long free kick into the box that skipped past the keeper for his first goal of the season.
GovState outshot St. Francis 14–9 and produced more corners (9–3), showing composure and persistence in the attacking third. Gallego finished with one save in the narrow defeat.