After two and a half hours of play under a torrential downpour at Reeves Field, the AU Men’s Soccer team ended in a double overtime draw against Lehigh.
Both teams had opportunities to put their team on top, but were unsuccessful. Although AU did not record a victory, the draw leaves them unbeaten in eight consecutive matches and keeps them in first place in the Patriot League. They have a record of 8-3-2 overall and a 4-0-1 record against the Patriot League.
In the first half, both teams were practically limited to scoring chances. The muddy grass impeded the short-pass game for both teams and the transition to the long-pass game was hard to adjust to. AU’s defense stepped up, allowing only one shot on goal.
On the other side of the field, AU was able to put four shots on goal, three of which came from senior Colin Zizzi. Mountain Hawk goalkeeper Jonathan Nydell saved all of his shots. The weather worsened as the half progressed.
“The weather was definitely a factor in today’s game for both teams,” said Coach Todd West. “When the field got too heavy, you couldn’t pass the ball anymore.”
In the second half, the skies started to open up for AU. Junior Nick Kapus had a chance to put AU up on the scoreboard only ten minutes into the second half, but a Lehigh defender deflected the ball while in front of the net.
The Eagles best scoring opportunity came with three minutes left in regulation. Junior Daniel Shannon rushed down the right side of the field with the ball. After faking a Mountain Hawk defenseman, he booted a curving shot towards the leftward goalpost. Once again, a Lehigh defender was there to save a goal, by kicking it away.
AU senior Cameron Petty trapped the rebound and shot the ball from point-blank range. Incredibly, the shot was blocked again by the Mountain Hawk defense. Daniel Shannon got control of the ball, narrowed in on goal and fired a shot, which missed just wide right.
After the first overtime where neither team scored, the game went into its second overtime. AU’s Mike Worden had a great chance to lead AU to another overtime victory, but his shot was unfortunately blocked once more by the persistent Mountain Hawk defense. The AU defense held strong as the match ended in a 0-0 draw.
“Unfortunately, we created a lot of chances, but we didn’t score,” said AU Goaltender Matt Makowski after the game. “I think the positive is that our defensive backs played well under the tough weather conditions.”
After the game, Coach Todd West said winning the conference would come down to beating Holy Cross and Colgate. The team’s head coach felt confident that the team can wrap up the conference against these two teams.
AU Men’s Soccer will travel to Georgetown this Wednesday to face the Hoyas at 3 p.m.
You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.
