MEN’S SOCCER PLAYS NORWICH TO 2-2 DRAW

BOSTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel College men's soccer team played Norwich University to a 2-2 draw on Saturday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference play at Roberto Clemente Field. The tie moves the Saints to 2-1-1 on the year and 0-0-1 in GNAC play while the Cadets now stand at 1-2-1 and 0-0-1 in the GNAC.

EC jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the opening stanza with a little help from the visitors. Freshman midfielder Justin Connor (Rochdale, Mass.) played a bounding through-ball deep into the Norwich box and in an attempt to clear it away, a Cadet defender deflected the ball into the back of his own net for an own goal to put the Saints ahead at the 9:43 marker.

Connor wasn't finished and 41 seconds later gave Emmanuel a 2-0 lead with his first collegiate goal. The rookie created some space with some quick footwork just outside the top of the 18-yard box and ripped a right footed shot past NU sophomore keeper Ryan Fitzpatrick (Millbury, Mass.) to make it a two-goal game.

The Cadets got one back midway through the first half to cut the Emmanuel lead in half and make it a 2-1 game. Sophomore midfielder Matt Hilton (Colorado Springs, Colo.) played a ball into the Saints' box, finding senior forward Jacob Zimmerman (Litchfield, N.H.) in stride. The Cadet tri-captain fired a hard strike on frame that went right through EC freshman keeper Jonathan Ferrarini (Hanover, Mass.) to account for the 2-1 score at the half.

Norwich dominated the flow of play in the second half, pressing for the equalizer which came during the 62^nd minute of action. The Saints committed a foul deep in their own corner giving the Cadets a direct kick in dangerous territory. Junior defender Noah Schiers (South Weber, Utah) delivered a ball into traffic that found the head of sophomore forward Ethan Melia (Shrewsbury, Mass.). Melia's header beat Ferrarini to tie the score at 2-2 with 27:09 remaining in regulation.

Neither team was able to muster a legitimate scoring opportunity during the remainder of the second half so the game headed into the golden goal double-overtime format deadlocked at 2-all.

The Saints had the best chance to win the game in the first OT session as Connor blasted a shot from 25 yards out just over the crossbar with 30 seconds to play in the OT frame. Emmanuel outshot NU 2-0 in the session but was on its heels during the second OT frame as the Cadets tried to sneak out of Boston with a come-from-behind win. Just 44 seconds into the frame, Hilton connected on a shot from just inside 30 yards out that forced Ferrarini to make a save over the bar to preserve the tie.

Ferrarini made six saves during the outing while Fitzpatrick made one before being relieved by freshman Alex Grant (South Yarmouth, Mass.) who finished the afternoon with three saves.

Emmanuel returns to the pitch on Tuesday, September 13 when they take on College of the Fenway rival Wentworth Institute of Technology down the street at Sweeney Field at 7:00 PM. The Cadets are back on Monday, September 12 when they travel to Green Mountain State for a 4:00 PM non-conference match-up.