Men’s soccer: Two-goal comeback gives EMU draw at William Peace

EMU scored twice in the final 6:33 of regulation today to forge a 3-3 tie with William Peace University in men’s soccer action in Cary, N.C. Eastern Mennonite is now 1-1-2 as they gear up for two more tough road matches this weekend, playing at McDaniel on Saturday followed by Stevenson on Sunday.

Wednesday’s game was filled with chances for both teams with a combined 40 shot attempts. Juan Luna (Mount Jackson, Va./Stonewall Jackson) nearly scored in the eighth minute when he floated a shot over the Pacers’ keeper, but the ball bounded off the post leaving the game scoreless.

WPU put together five corner kicks in the opening 16 minutes and finally cashed in on the final one, connecting on a header for the first lead.

The men struck back in the 34th, when Parker Leap (Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) stuck in a penalty kick for the equalizer.

The Pacers then found some cracks midway through the second, scoring goals in the 64th and 72nd minutes to explode to a 3-1 lead.

As time ticked away and the two-goal margin grew more and more daunting, EMU’s men stuck with it. Freshman Daniel Obour(Alexandria, Va./Mount Vernon) earned his first collegiate goal in the 84th minute, getting an assist from Luna. Then with just1:48 left to play, senior Dylan Polley (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) also notched his first-ever tally, completing the incredible comeback to tie things up at 3-3. Jesus Trejo (Winchester, Va./John Handley) assisted on the play.

The Royals had the momentum in the extra sessions, but couldn’t hit the net again despite putting a couple of shots on goal. The men had a great chance in the final minute of play when they earned a corner, but an offsides call left the game as a draw.

EMU had a 25-15 advantage in shots, including 10-6 on goal. Luna made five attempts while Polley and Trejo each had four shots. Showing their offensive diversity, each of the Royals’ shots on goal were taken by a different player.

Emmanuel Kampanga (Kinshasa, Congo/American School) started in goal for the men and made one save before being relieved by Cody Martin (Martinsville, Va./Carlisle) in the 74th minute. Martin had a pair of stops.