The men’s soccer team began its conference play with a bang, edging No. 23 University of Chicago 4-3 in a double overtime thriller on Saturday. The Eagles, who have won four straight games, are now 1-0 in University Athletic Association (UAA) play and sit at 6-4-1 on the season.
With 26 seconds left in the tied 3-3 second overtime period, sophomore defender Carl Credle headered the ball past the Maroons’ keeper, sending the crowd of 1,200 into an absolute frenzy.
“It was totally exciting and a great effort by Carl, as well as the team,” Head Coach Sonny Travis said. “We lost our last two overtime games, so persevering and picking up the win was great for the team.”
The first half was a defensive stalemate, providing no shots on goal from either team.
Sophomore forward Dylan Price finally broke the ice with a goal in the 49th minute that was set up by senior midfielder and co-captain David Langton.
Junior forward Andrew Jones added to the lead by netting a line drive goal in the 63nd minute of play.
In the 67thminute of play, a third unanswered goal was provided by senior co-captain Andrew Natalino off a beautiful lead pass by Jones. For Price and Jones it was their ninth goals of the season, while Natalino’s goal marked his second this year.
“The chemistry between Price, Jones and Natalino has been able to give us different looks on the field,” Travis said.
The Maroons, poised to make a comeback, retaliated with three unanswered goals of their own.
Their initial attack was catalyzed by sophomore midfielder Alexis Onfroy’s header off freshman midfielder Nick Codispoti’s direct kick.
A handball in the box allowed freshman midfielder Jorge Bilbao to net the Maroons’ second goal, which came off a penalty kick. Freshman forward Kyle Kurfist knotted up the game at three with a strike from the right side of the field.
“It came down to the fact that we steered away from our game plan of pressuring the ball,” Travis said. “The pressure decreased after the first 65 minutes. The penalty kick set us back a bit, but our guys were able to get past it.”
With the score tied at three, the game would be decided in overtime. The first overtime period displayed a similar gameplay as the first half with zero shots on goal for both teams.
As the second half progressed, a more offensive-minded gameplay was initiated, with six shots from the Eagles, all of which came after the 100th minute.
“They really picked it up in overtime,” Travis said. “Annoyed with giving up the equalizer with a minute left in regulation, we took control of overtime.”
Credle’s breakaway in the 101th minute had the crowd on the edge of their seats, only to have the Maroons’ freshman goalkeeper Brett Wiesen save the shot.
The Maroons had only one legitimate scoring opportunity in the second overtime period. This ended in sophomore midfielder Michael Choquette’s shot zooming wide.
The Eagles also had some chances late in the game, as Price received a beautiful header from freshman defenseman Matt Sherr, but his shot hit off the right post. Four minutes later, Credle put an exclamation point on the overtime thriller; it was his third of the season.
“It was important for us to win that game and to keep our winning streak going,” said junior midfielder Alistair Moore. “It was great to notch that first win in conference play as well, especially against a ranked team like the University of Chicago. It was really awesome to see one of our young guys [Credle] get a big goal like that and boost team morale.”
The Eagles finished the game with 19 shots, six of which were on goal, while the Maroons’ had 13 shots, including four that were on goal.The Eagle’s have kept the offensive pressure at a high level, outshooting their opponents 78-31 in their past four games.
“Our offense has really been starting to gel as of late,” Travis said. “We are a very technical team and this has led us to create chances.”
The Eagles’ will continue UAA conference play on Oct. 7, as they travel to St. Louis for a 2:30 p.m. matchup against Washington University (Miss.).
– By Drew Heuman-Gutman
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