ARLINGTON HEIGHTS – Roosevelt got off to a rough start to its Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference campaign Friday afternoon with a 5-2 setback against Ferris State at Morris Field.

The Lakers (0-2-2, 0-1-0 GLIAC) conceded twice within a two-minute span early in the game to fall behind before 12 minutes had elapsed. Yet the resilient bunch tied the game before the first half ended with Kyra Cruickshank and Paola Macias scoring slightly more than five minutes apart. The Bulldogs scored less than five minutes before halftime then added two more second-half goals.

Although Roosevelt was outshot 22-2 in the match, it made those two shots count in the first half. After driving the ball down the left wing, the Lakers won a corner kick, and Alex Creel delivered a gorgeous cross into the goal area. Cruickshank was right there to knock in the loose ball and claw one goal back for the Lakers.

Within 90 seconds of Cruickshank changing the momentum towards Roosevelt, the Lakers went down to 10 players after Peyton Connelly was assessed a red card. Not to be deterred, Macias tied the game less than four minutes after the red card, giving Roosevelt a jolt of energy.

BIRTHDAY GOAL: Macias made no mistake for her second goal of the season, collecting a clearance attempt and taking two touches to settle herself before unleashing a shot into the upper right of the net. Making the moment even sweeter was that Friday was Macias' 22^nd birthday.

ROX SOLID: The scoresheet might say Roxy Herrera allowed five goals, the junior goalkeeper also made 11 saves, including several athletic stops to keep the game within striking distance in the first half. In the opening 45 minutes, Herrera made six stops, including a kick save from a close-range attempt and pushing one shot over the crossbar. In the second half, Herrera made another kick save and punched out a corner kick that was curving into the far post.

UP NEXT: Roosevelt returns back to its home turf in Arlington Heights on Sunday at noon when it hosts Saginaw Valley State at Morris Field. This will be the first meeting ever between the Cardinals and Lakers on the pitch.