MEN'S SOCCER BATTLES TO A 2-2 TIE WITH UMASS-DARTMOUTH

MEN'S SOCCER BATTLES TO A 2-2 TIE WITH UMASS-DARTMOUTH

Oct. 5, 2010

BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel College men's soccer team excited the crowd with a strong showing in a 2-2 draw with non-conference foe UMass-Dartmouth on Tuesday evening at Roberto Clemente Field in Boston, Mass.

The Saints moved to 4-6-2 while the Corsairs' record now stands at 6-2-1.

The misty weather enveloped the entire field prior to kickoff, with both teams looking to strike first on its opponent. The visitor opened the scoring early in the match when senior Kyle Estrella (Dartmouth, Mass.) collected a bounding ball near the top of the box and fired it into the bottom right-hand corner of the net to give the Corsairs a 1-0 lead.

Both squads had time with the ball and spread it around the pitch, looking for an opening to attack. The Saints finally earned their first tally when sophomore Andres Rocha (West Orange, N.J.) launched a deep shot from over 25 yards out that UMD sophomore keeper Jon Doucette (Boxford, Mass.) could not reach as the ball sailed into the netting to even the game.

The teams fought valiantly as the second half opened. The play on the field turned chippy with both sides fighting for every loose ball. The Corsairs managed to find a second goal a little past the 56th minute mark when a UMD pass was deflected by an Emmanuel player into his own goal.

The Saints were undeterred, however, continuing to push and pull in any way to even the score. Less than ten minutes after the misplayed own goal, freshman Allan Parrelli's corner kick curved over the box and right in the waiting path of sophomore Kevin Shirley, who headed home the equalizer for the hosts.

Neither team would score in the remaining time although there was no shortage of action, as two yellow cards were awarded to the Corsairs within the final five minutes of the frame.

Junior goal keeper Patrick Froass (Oneida, N.Y.) was a key component for the Saints in the overtime sets, stopping multiple, hard hit shots despite the slippery and soaked conditions. The team's defense also played extremely well, as perfectly timed tackles by seniors Johnathan Benevides (Somerset, Mass.) and Patrick Sheldon (Saco, Maine) and junior Kelly Louis-Charles (Orange, Conn.) helped keep the UMD attack under control.

Neither team would tally a goal in the overtime periods and the score would stand at 2-2.

Froass tallied 12 saves in net for the Saints as Doucette notched four for the Corsairs. UMD outshot Emmanuel, 20-10.

The Saints will return to action this Saturday when they will host Lasell College at 3:00 p.m.