Davenport--The Penn men's soccer team played with St. Ambrose for much of its Midwest Classic Conference opener, but were unable to stave off a strong push late in the game in falling, 3-1, Saturday. After playing a scoreless first half with the Fighting Bees, Penn (1-8, 0-1) took the lead on a Nik Rule (Fr., Idaho Falls, Idaho, Skyline HS) goal in the 51st minute. Armondo Irias (Fr., Baytown, Texas, Lee HS) recorded the assist on the freshman's second goal of the season. Unfortunately, St. Ambrose scored just two minutes later to tie the game at 1-1. But Penn remained strong and fought their hosts for the next 30 minutes, until the Fighting Bees put together a pair of scores in the 87th minute to claim victory. Tugberk Tekdemir (So., Ankara, Turkey, Mustafa Kemal HS) finished with seven saves in goal. Next time out: Penn continues Midwest Classic Conference action by hosting Mount Mercy in Oskaloosa, Tuesday, concluding a men's-women's doubleheader at 4 p.m. The Statesmen have had a pretty even history against the Mustangs, owning a 6-4 edge in the all-time series. But the most recent contests have all gone in Penn's favor, with the Statesmen winning the last five meetings by a combined score of 17-6, including last year's 4-3 triumph in Marion.