PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Rockford University's Abraham Gonzalez scored on a free kick late in the first half and the Lakeland University men's soccer team saw its Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament hopes take a blow with a tough 1-0 loss at home Saturday afternoon.

The Muskies spent much of the second half with possession but could never break through on a dark and damp Senior Day when 11 players were honored at halftime. Lakeland dropped to 4-10-2 overall and 3-7-1 in the NACC with one conference regular season match left against Concordia University Wisconsin Wednesday.

In a match that had few great scoring chances either way, a free kick proved to be the difference 36 minutes, 10 seconds into the match. Gonzalez took the kick from 27 yards out straight on from the goal, and his strike was perfectly placed into the upper right corner of the net, out of reach of Lakeland goalkeeper Zach Heiman (Jr.-Racine, Wis.).

The Regents (6-9-1 overall, 5-5-1 NACC) had the better of possession in the first half, but the Muskies spent much of the final 45 minutes on the offensive. Despite frequently holding the ball in its offensive end, though, Lakeland had few good chances with Rockford increasingly falling back into the shell and clogging the middle.

With the sky getting darker and rain becoming heavier, the Muskies had five corner kicks in the second half, but could not cash in on any. Lakeland's best opportunities came in the 67th and 77th minutes, including Gavin Pinchart (Jr.-De Pere, Wis.) getting through the defense to hit a shot that skidded off the turf and nearly ate up Rockford goalkeeper Andrik Vidaurri in the 67th minute. Joseph Reyes (Sr.-Pico River, Calif.) also had a shot with just over 13 minutes left that Vidaurri saved, but the Muskies would not get off even another shot, despite pushing further up as time ran shorter.

Lakeland finished with a slim 11-10 lead in shots and a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks. Heiman made six saves while Vidaurri made five saves for the shutout for the Regents.

The Muskies honored 11 seniors at halftime of the match. Those honored included Reyes, Michael Barragan (Milwaukee, Wis.), Alessandro Bianchi (Venice, Italy), Carson Galla (Deerfield, Wis.), Andy Garcia Arreguin (Worthington, Minn.), Michecadet Gethand (Jackson, Wis.) Andres Gonzalez (Jamul, Calif.), Florian Hartig (Grebenstein, Germany), Sebastian Ramirez (Hinsdale, Ill.), T.J. Sanusi (Chicago, Ill.) and Brandon Uhlean (Tinley Park, Ill.).

Lakeland has two matches remaining in its season, including a non-conference bout with Elmhurst (Ill.) College Monday at 4 p.m. at Taylor Field.