NORTHFIELD, Minnesota – The Prairie Fire dropped their first match of this year's ACM Soccer Showcase 3-1 at St. Olaf College on Friday.

The Oles (2-0), an annual contender for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) who won 14 matches in 2013, got on the board first at the 5:55 mark on a rebound off of a penalty kick for a 1-0 lead.

St. Olaf maintained its one goal lead over Knox at the break.  Neither team fired many shots as the Oles held a 5-2 advantage through the first 45:00.

St. Olaf made it a 2-0 advantage on a cross and tap in 50:26 into the contest, one of only three shots the Prairie Fire (1-2) allowed in the second stanza.  The hosts damaged hopes of a Knox comeback with another score at 67:47 for a 3-0 lead.

The Prairie Fire denied St. Olaf a second straight shutout to open the season after the Oles blanked the University of Northwestern 6-0 on August 29 at home.

Sophomore Bernardo Gasperazzo (Montes Claros, Brazil, Colegio Padrao) sent a shot past St. Olaf keeper Randall Rude with 42 seconds left in the match for his first goal of the season.

The Oles held a slight edge over Knox in total shots, 8-7.  Six of the eight St. Olaf shots were on goal, and Prairie Fire senior goalie Sean Dockrell (Dublin, Ireland, San Bernadino CC)saved three of them. 

Knox had three shots on goal in the contest – one each by Gasperazzo and first-years Shu Kitamura (Hong Kong, Hong Kong, IMG Academy) and Phelipe Graske (Geneva, IL, Geneva).

Next up for the Fire in the ACM Soccer Showcase is a match with Coe College on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at St. Olaf's field.  The Kohawks (1-2) suffered a 7-1 loss to Macalester College in their first match played in the showcase on Friday.