College of Charleston
Drexel
CofC M. Soccer Draws With Drexel
10/12/2014 1:43:00 AM | Men's Soccer
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Two goals off the boot of sophomore Adan Noel aided the College of Charleston men's soccer team to a 2-2 draw at Drexel in Colonial Athletic Association action at Vidas Field on Saturday night.
The result reinstates the Cougars (2-7-2, 0-2-1 CAA) in to the league standings with five conference games remaining on the regular season schedule.
“The boys played a great match tonight,” said head coach Ralph Lundy. “Drexel is always a strong opponent, and I am proud of how our guys battled after falling behind. We hope to use this momentum and earn a win at home next Wednesday.”
CofC ended a four-match scoreless spell in the 33rd minute when Kye West collected a failed Dragon clearance effort and found Noel in the left side of the box where the Trinidadian controlled the ball and tucked it into the back of the net.
The remainder of the opening period saw both teams create scoring chances, but the Dragons notched an equalizer late in the first half on a corner kick sent in by John Grosh and tapped home by Robert Liberatore.
After a statistically-even first half, Drexel seized the upper hand in the 52nd minute when Sander Yu played a long pass in to the box and Grosh scored to the far post to give the Dragons a 2-1 lead.
Charleston battled incessantly for an equalizer, and pressured the Dragon defense with multiple scoring chances up until the final minute of regulation. In the waning seconds of the second half, the Cougars earned a corner kick and Noel capitalized on the opportunity by chipping in a loose ball after a scramble in the penalty area with only 19 seconds left.
Noel's second goal of the night extended the match to two overtime periods which saw the teams exchange potential scoring chances, but ultimately end in a 2-2 draw after 110 minutes.
The match was played extremely physically, summoning 16 infractions and five yellow cards.
Junior goalkeeper Alex Young made three saves to keep the Cougars on a level playing field with the defending CAA regular season champions.
Charleston returns home with another pivotal CAA match against William and Mary on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at Patriots Point. With the teams vying for six available playoff spots, the Cougars and Tribe will kickoff at 7p.m.
