Men's Soccer Battles to Double Overtime Draw Against Appalachian State
BOX SCORE
HARRISONBURG, Va. – University at Albany men's soccer (0-0-1) fought for 110 minutes on Friday afternoon in its season opener, emerging with a 0-0 tie against Appalachian State (0-0-1) in the James Madison Invitational.
“We really maintained possession and controlled the first half,” said head coach Trevor Gorman. “We had our chances throughout and just need to keep working on our timing in the final phase of our attack. It was a strong defensive effort for us to really limit their chances.”
The Great Danes showed urgency on the offensive end early, firing off four shots in the opening 20 minutes. UAlbany's best attempt came in the third minute, as Afonso Pinheiro found Brandon Wilson for an shot that sailed just over the crossbar. In their first collegiate starts Pinheiro and Jake Barros knocked on the door early but couldn't convert.
After out-shooting the Mountaineers 5-0 in the first thirty minutes of the game, the Purple & Gold concluded the first half with a 7-1 shot advantage on attempts from seven different players. In the opening game for both teams, neither goalkeeper was required to make a save in the first 45 minutes.
Gorman's squad had a scare early in the second half, as App State hit the crossbar in the opening moments. After a series of offsides calls the Mountaineers got another shot at the goal in the 75th minute, but Tim Allen came in for the save.
The Purple & Gold got some fresh legs on the field to close the half, but the teams concluded regulation deadlocked at 0-0.
The Great Danes rebounded in the first overtime after a sluggish second half. Pedro Espindola had three good looks but Jake Barros nearly ended the game with a win with less than two minutes left in the overtime period. The freshman cut down the left side for a shot that nearly found the upper right corner of the net.
In the second overtime, Martin Gorrie had a quality shot off a cross, but fired wide. App State charged back in the second overtime, firing off a series of shots to end the period but the Great Dane defense held for the tie.
Tim Allen made his return as the starting goalkeeper with three saves. “It was good to get back into action,” said the senior co-captain. “At the end of the day we're disappointed to get a tie after dominating most of the game.”
UAlbany men's soccer continues the JMU Invitational this Sunday against the host team. The Purple & Gold (0-0-1) face James Madison (0-0-0) at 2:30 p.m.
