Box Score EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Despite falling behind midway through the second half, the University of Evansville men's soccer team pushed back to earn a 2-2 tie with IUPUI on Sunday afternoon at Arad McCutchan Stadium.
"We let one get away. I think the guys did a great job to battle back when we went down 2-1 to extend the game into overtime, but realistically we weren't marked up on two set pieces and really that's the only way they were going to get a goal was off a set piece," said Aces men's soccer head coach Marshall Ray. "We fouled a little bit too much and gave them too many opportunities. With a man down we probably should have been a little bit better moving the ball. I think we had some opportunities there, but all in all, I think you look at the results. We hit the crossbar, the post, a couple misses chances early to put the game away and if you don't put the game away like this against a team like IUPUI who's going to fight and battle for everything you put yourself in this situation. So we are fortunate to get out of here with a tie, but we've got a lot to learn from this match.
The Purple Aces opened the match on the right foot, creating chances early on. Earning a free kick from 30 yards out, junior Jesse Stafford-Lacey sent a ball into the box that senior Travor Baum connected with and headed into the back of the net to give Evansville a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute.
After going down to 10 men in the 25th minute, IUPUI was able to find its equalizer in the 40th minute after Corey Goede lobbed a throw-in into the box and Tommy Patacca headed it into goal to knot the match at a goal each as the first half came to a close.
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Box Score (PDF)
In the first half of the second 45 minutes, Evansville maintained much of the possession but were unable to push in front. The Jaguars found their go-ahead goal in the 71st minute as Goede and Patacca connected again off a throw-in to give IUPUI the 2-1 advantage.
With time ticking away, the Aces searched for a goal to prolong the match. In the 87th minute, freshman Ryan Harris dribbled to the side of the 18-yard box and chipped the ball into the box. Senior Ben Weber chested the ball down to sophomore Hunter DeWeese who launched it into the back of the net, sending the match to overtime.
IUPUI recorded the first shot in the first overtime period as junior goalkeeper Frederik Reimer had to dive to make a save. In the 96th minute, junior Simon Waever sent a shot towards goal that was blocked as the Aces and Jaguars went to a second overtime. The second overtime featured few chances as Reimer stopped a Jaguar shot on-goal, preserving the draw for Evansville.
Three Aces led the way on the afternoon as DeWeese tallied five shots, while Harris and fellow freshman Logan Muck each recorded four shots. In goal, Reimer a pair of saves while spending 110 minutes between the posts in a second-straight match.
After playing 220 minutes in two matches this weekend, Evansville receives four days away from competition before a showdown with Grand Canyon at 6 p.m. on Friday night.
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