MEADVILLE, Pa. - Playing their second match in less than 24 hours, the Allegheny men's soccer team battled Mount Union to a 1-1 double-overtime draw.
After Mount Union scored in the game's second minute, the Gators'
Zach Stryker tied it with a blast off of a
Liam McNamee throw-in five minutes into the second stanza. Despite a number of scoring chances for both squads down the stretch, neither was able to score a go-ahead goal, as the Gators went the distance for their second draw of the season.
The visiting Purple Raiders quickly took a 1-0 lead just 2:25 into the first half, when Ben Hobrath stepped in front of an ill-advised Allegheny clearning in the box 10 yards from the Gator net and completed the brekaway with his first goal of the season.
The early goal seemed to awaken the Gators, as the hosts took the game's next five stops.
Nick Dias was denied twice by Mount Union keeper Dylan Lias in the seventh minute, before Lias denied a prime attempt in front by
Zach Stryker off of a corner kick 19 minutes into play.
Allegheny continued to hold an advantage in possession, repeatedly advancing deep inside of Mount Union territory, but the Purple Raider defense continually denied any entry attempts. The visitors tallied the last two shots of the half, but the attempts in the 33rd and 35th minutes went wide, and the Raiders entered the intermission holding on to the one-goal lead.
Gator keeper
Chris DeNelle denied a prime Mount Union attempt three minutes into the second half, and the Gators then went on the attack. After an offsides whistle against Mount Union, the Gators methodically advanced the ball into Purple Raider territory. With 52:55 gone in the game, Allegheny's
Liam McNamee set up for a throw in on the far sideline 25 yards out. His long heave landed directly onto the foot of Stryker, who blasted a strong volley through the congested box and past Lias for the game-tying goal.
Following an Allegheny foul and subsequent ejection of a Gator player for a second yellow card in the 75th minute, Mount Union looked to seize the momentum, but DeNelle thwarted another prime scoring chance with a save off of a corner kick. It marked the last real scoring threat of regulation, as Allegheny's final shot of the half went wide with just over a minute left, and the two teams assured that the crowd at Frank B. Fuhrer Field would be treated to bonus soccer.
Just 30 seconds into the first overtime, the Raiders were whistled for a foul deep in Allegheny territory. The Gators'
Bryce Evans rocketed a free kick to goal, but Lias made a diving stop. Allegheny kept the pressure on for the duration of the first OT, with another close blast by Evans blocked, before Lias preserved the tie with his second save of the period on a McNamee header off of a corner kick.
The McNamee attempt was the last scoring chance for either team during the first overtime, and neither team managed a shot in the second extra session, forcing the two squads to settle for a tie.
Allegheny owned a 17-12 advantage in shots for the afternoon, including an 8-6 margin in the second half, and 4-1 advantage in overtime. Eleven different Gators were credited with at least one shot, led by three from Stryker, while the Raiders' Lias finished the day with seven saves. The Gators, who received two saves from DeNelle, also ended with a 7-4 edge in corner kicks.
The Gators will return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 28, as they'll travel to Beaver Falls, Pa. to conclude their non-conference portion of the schedule with a 7:30 p.m.match at Geneva College.
