MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The 22nd-ranked Amherst College men's soccer team went down 1-0 late in the second half against the Wesleyan Cardinals, but were able to score a late game equalizer by
Laurens ten Cate with 21 seconds left in the game for an exciting 1-1 tie.
The Mammoths clinched at least a share of their fourth straight Little Three Championship with the draw after last week's win over Williams. Wesleyan can join Amherst as co-champions with a win over Williams next weekend. Any other result in that game would leave Amherst as sole champions.
The Mammoths (7-2-2, 4-1-2 NESCAC) play Bowdoin on the road In Brunswick, Maine, tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. Wesleyan (3-4-3, 0-3-3) takes on Bates tomorrow at 3 p.m. in Lewiston, Maine.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:
* From the start Amherst was able to keep Wesleyan in their defensive third, and were awarded the first corner kick of the game.
* Wesleyan was awarded four free kicks within the first 15 minutes but were not able to capitalize on any of these opportunities.
* A Wesleyan shot by Chris Porte was blocked by
Simon Kalinauskas in the 28th minute for an Amherst counterattack.
* On an Amherst free kick by
Declan Sung in the 33rd minute,
Riley Priddy got a head on it but was saved by Wesleyan goalie Matthis Blanc. Shortly after, Sung had another great chance in the 34th minute where his shot went just over the crossbar.
* At the 37th minute
Niall Murphy played a slotted ball to
Ada Okorogheye for a shot in an attempt to get a goal on the board, but it was saved by the Wesleyan goalie.
* From the start of the second half, Amherst and Wesleyan went back and forth trading shots and saves until the 74th minute when a foul was called on Amherst just outside of the box. Wesleyan forward Zack Burd took advantage of this opportunity and hit a powerful shot to the top right corner of the goal to put Wesleyan in the lead, 1-0, with 15 minutes left in the game.
* Wesleyan continued to push on and was aggressive to goal in the last 15 minutes with three shots on goal as Amherst countered with a free kick that was played quick to
Ignacio Cubeddu, who flicked it on over the top of the defensive line in an effort to equalize the game.
* With 30 seconds left in the game, Sung took a throw-in that landed in the box, was flicked on by Kalinauskas and then headed into the back of the net by ten Cate to put the Mammoths back in the game at 1-1. Wesleyan got one more shot off before the final buzzer ended the game for the Mammoths and Cardinals in a 1-1 tie.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Wesleyan had 12 shots (5 on goal), Amherst had 9 (4 on goal).
* Amherst had 4 saves and Wesleyan 3. Both teams were tied on corners at 3-3.
